33 weeks old: first Christmas!

Lots of new toys to play with the day after Christmas! Oliver seemed to enjoy his first Christmas just spending the day with his family. He started the day in pajamas that matched his sister's and we all had a big breakfast in front of a roaring fire with music from the Hipster Holiday Pandora station playing. He enjoyed oatmeal and fig puree. Afterward we moved to the living room and opened gifts in front of the tree. He was very excited about everything, especially the gift wrap. Here he is opening a gift. The password is Oliver2015.



Oliver also loved watching his sister open and play with presents. She helped with a lot of his. He loves his sister so much.

After a short but exciting time of opening gifts, Oliver went upstairs to take a nap. After his snooze, all of us including Gertie walked to Irving Park. It was a cold but dry day so the kids were able to play for a bit and we could stretch our legs. Oliver tried the swing again and this time seemed to mildly enjoy it. Hey, better than crying!

After lunch and a long afternoon nap, we all headed back out for dinner at the Chinese restaurant down the street. Business was hopping and everyone was in good spirits. Oliver enjoyed some carrot applesauce while the rest of us shared potstickers, crab puffs, and vegetable lo mein. Next year he'll be eating restaurant food right along with us.

And for dessert, some chin-chewing.

And, to end the post, a video of a Mommy-Oliver drum sesh earlier in the week. Password is Oliver2015.

32 weeks old: bath toys and first finger food

A couple weeks ago I turned the infant tub from the reclined side to the upright seat side. He's a strong sitter now! He also loves to play with bath toys now. He splashes really vigorously and pants with excitement over the toys. This kid loves bath time!

We went to Family Story Time at the library on Friday, not Oliver's first time but he does seem to love looking around at all the other kids and activity. We met up with my friend, Erica, and her 3-year-old daughter, Nora. Eloise loooooves Nora. Afterward we had lunch next door at the Whole Foods and Oliver enjoyed being entertained by Nora with tickles and faces while I took Eloise to the restroom. He smiled and giggled at Nora and she was so sweet with him.

New foods his week were mangos and avocado. He loved mangos so much he panted and kicked his legs when he saw the spoon coming toward his mouth. However, the avocado.... I think we finally found a food he doesn't like. I saw an "ick" face. Which, for him, is still kind of smiley! The video password is Oliver2015.

Oliver also tried his first finger food yesterday - banana mango yogurt bites. They basically melt in your mouth immediately. He managed to get one piece from the tray to his mouth.... I think? It stuck to the corner of his mouth but I'm not sure it actually got in there. There was a bunch in his lap when I removed the high chair tray. He'll get plenty of practice. It's so neat to watch him grow and change and keep acquiring skills.

And finally, while I was shopping at Fred Meyer I saw matching reindeer pajamas for $6. I couldn't resist. Here they are watching Elmo's World Holiday Movie and wearing their matching pajamas. Be still my heart! They are just the cutest together.

31 weeks old: 7 months old, scooting, and his own room

Look who's 7 months old! It's the baby in the penguin pajamas. So cute. Eloise wanted to be a part of the action so she got in the picture and put her arm around her little brother. Be still my heart. She is so sweet to Oliver and he looks up at her with stars in his eyes.

These two continue to interact more and more and it warms my heart so much. Eloise gives Oliver lots of hugs and kisses and he smiles ear-to-ear. When Eloise reads him a book he is very engaged. He wants to explore everything with his hands and mouth and it's hard for Eloise to understand that babies just grab and don't know better. So during stories or when she's making stuffed animals talk to him, there's a lot of "Oliver, stop!"

This week Oliver started scooting ... but backward. I can see him look at something he wants and then start scooting backward. I imagine he's thinking, "Hey, I'm going the wrong way!" I haven't captured it on video yet because I've only seen it happen once. However, he is also getting up on hands and knees and rocking many times a day. I did capture that on video, and the password is Oliver2015.

Other big news this week is that Oliver got his own room. Eloise hasn't napped in a couple weeks and has been sabotaging his nap, likewise when I want to let him cry a bit in the night to see if he can self-soothe before I go in, she gets woken up. I knew I'd split them up eventually but I was hoping for a couple years together first. Oh well. So far Oliver has spent 2-3 nights alone and he seems to be adjusting well.

Finally, new food this week were reconstituted and pureed Turkish figs. As usual, thumbs up.

30 weeks old: first shopping cart ride and the jumparoo clicked

Look who's 30 weeks old! I knitted the above cardigan for Eloise and by the time I finished it, it was already snug on her. This is the first time I put it on Oliver and it's already snug on him, too! I missed the window for both of them so it was just a one-time wear for a photo opp. I think I'll gift it to a fellow knitter who is expecting and maybe her babe will get some wear from it. She's due in March.

A first this week was Oliver getting to sit in the shopping cart. I forgot to bring the front carrier so both kids were in the cart, leaving little room for food, but much room for adorable photos. Turns out Oliver wasn't a fan. He prefers to be held and I spent the second half of the trip holding him and pushing the cart one-handed because he was crying in the cart. I tried to get him to smile:

But really this is how he felt:

In other news, the jumping part of the Jumparoo clicked this week. So. Adorable. The password is Oliver2015.

New food this week was applesauce. Apples are in season so I got a bag and pureed them and froze a bunch of cubes. So easy, fast, and cheap I always wonder why more people don't make their own baby food. Eloise got some, too.

I follow the book Super Baby Food as I did with Eloise and it says to try one new food at a time and give it 3-4 days to see if he has an allergic reaction. Every day that he had applesauce he loved it so much he ate a huge amount. I include this photo to highlight the fact that this kid is constantly pulling his socks off. Ha!

It's amazing how many differences there are in Oliver's personality compared to his sister already. I've mentioned how he smiles so much more and has had a louder voice since the moment he was born. He's bigger and stronger and handles objects more roughly than Eloise at this age. He hangs on and snuggles in when held whereas Eloise always gave the stiff arm.  He also seems to be a little more cautious than Eloise and feels distressed more often when I put him down or when there are loud-ish or sudden noises or movements. I hope to instill more confidence and courage in him as he grows. I've given thought to decorating his room when I split the kids up (soon - the nap and bedtime shenanigans!) and I thought I'd decorate his room in vintage aviation/Wright Brothers/first in flight in keeping with the era of the house. Then I recently came across this wood wall hanging that I'd like to recreate. It's perfect!

29 weeks old: first Thanksgiving and first trip to Phoenix

Oliver is 29 weeks old and is sitting, babbling, trying new foods, and working on using his hands to grasp and turn things over and bring them to his mouth. He has also started assuming the butt up position while sleeping in his crib. His sister is his favorite entertainment and cracks him up all the time. He's snuggly and smiley and I could eat him up.

We traveled to Phoenix to spend Thanksgiving with family there and he got to meet two more aunts and four more cousins. His grandma got him a mustache pacifier, which is ridiculous and adorable. He still doesn't take a pacifier but she held it in his mouth for a photo opp.

This year Oliver's Aunt Teresa hosted Thanksgiving at her house. The usual suspects were there minus cousin Emily who was traveling in Guatemala. We got a picture of the cousins who were present on the couch. From left to right that's Cory, Eloise, Matteja, Aidan, Drew, and Oliver.

The next day we visited Aunt Jill and cousins Matteja and Aidan at their new house. Matteja read to the kids and Aidan had the great idea to go on a wagon walk.

OliverSwing from Sarah Zuber on Vimeo.

Saturday we met up at a park near Grandma's house. Oliver had some firsts there, including first time down a slide on mommy's lap, first time on a rocking horse with Aidan, and first time in a bucket swing. Unfortunately the swing scared him and I got it on video (password Oliver2015).

Afterward we met up with Aunt Teresa and Grandma at her house for lunch and hanging out for the afternoon. Matteja fed Oliver a couple bites of pureed carrots. Aidan declined but watched very intently. He seemed to take a special interest in Oliver and pronounced him his "mini me" when we were saying goodbyes. *melt*

28 weeks old: check up and holiday photos

Oliver is 28 weeks old and is sitting like an old pro. He doesn't know how to get into or out of a sitting position yet, so he gets frustrated when he is stuck sitting and wants out. Sometimes he manages to topple himself over but it doesn't seem like it's on purpose. As we approach the holidays, I decided to copy an idea I saw on Pinterest and I made a top hat and scarf out of felt to dress Oliver as Frosty the Snowman. I drew on the carrot nose and coal buttons with face paint. I think he's way cuter than the actual Frosty.

This week Oliver had his 6 month well child visit with the doctor. He got some vaccinations and a thorough exam and was pronounced healthy. His weight gain is outpacing his growth in height so the  doctor said he's getting "stockier."

Height: 27.25" (72%)
Weight: 16 lbs. 11 oz. (30%)
Head circumference: 17.2" (57%)

Oliver continues to try new foods and this week it was persimmon and avocado, both from our local organic produce delivery service, Organics to You. So far there hasn't been a food he has refused.

And finally, we had family holiday photos taken by the same photographer that did them last year. This year we chose to have them taken at the Hoyt Arboretum. It was a cold day, but dry, and we found a spot with good light and beautiful tall pine trees. We took a few of just Oliver to serve as his 6 month photos. Here's my favorite:

And here's a couple more that didn't make it into the holiday card. Oliver looked so cute in his flannel shirt and newsboy hat!

27 weeks old: 6 month birthday, PT graduation, and a new (old) toy

Happy 6 month birthday to this little cutie! And look at him sit there. "Look ma, no hands!" I'm so proud of him. And I can't believe how time is flying. So much changing and growing happening every week. He is such a joy. And he and his sister together... my heart overflows. Oliver is so interested in Eloise, and Eloise is so sweet to Oliver. I'm so lucky to have these two.

In other exciting news, Oliver graduated from physical therapy! He no longer has a flat spot on his head nor tilts to the right. Thank goodness. The only lasting effect he may have from being breech is his right ear is slightly more forward than his left. It is imperceptible and may only be noticed if he wears glasses, and that is only if it doesn't correct on its own anyway. Oliver had a wonderful pediatric physical therapist named April Milan. She has a doctorate in physical therapy and was amazing with Oliver. And, coincidentally, we have a mutual friend! Here are April and Oliver together on his last day of physical therapy.

As Oliver grows it has been fun to see him wearing, using, and playing with things his big sister had. This week I got out the Jumperoo and his face was priceless. I got it on video and the password is Oliver2015.

OliverJumpToy from Sarah Zuber on Vimeo.

26 weeks: the letter D and on knees

Oliver is 26 weeks old today and officially halfway to a year old. Oliver shares a room with his sister, Eloise, and I often find that there have been shenanigans between them. One morning this week I walked in and found Oliver like this and Eloise exclaimed, "I help Oliver!" She was trying to get him ready for the day. Obviously that included getting into the crib with him. It's sweet and also a little worrisome.

This week Oliver also started saying the letter "d" in the form of babbling "dadada" with a lot of enthusiasm. It's the cutest thing. He throws in a laugh here and there, too. I wonder if he is imitating conversation. I captured a bit on video, the password is Oliver 2015.

We've all caught a cold this week with sore throats and runny noses. I think Oliver might also be having some teething pain to top it off. He's had some pretty inconsolable moments that were only remedied by Tylenol. Poor thing. One day was especially low key and he slept a lot and also we hung out on the couch snuggled under a blanket watching TV before bed.

And just sharing one other random from the week during bath time.

And finally, once in a while Oliver will push himself up on his knees for a brief moment. I happen to catch it just now on video, password Oliver2015.

25 weeks old: solids and first Halloween

Oliver is 25 weeks old now and here he is about to eat his first bite of solid food: oatmeal. He was pretty excited to be sitting in the high chair at the table with us! His first few bites he seemed to like it and shortly after that he let me know he was DONE. Here's a video of his first couple bites. The password is Oliver2015.


A few days later he had mashed bananas, which looked like this. He seems to mostly be getting used to moving food around in his mouth and a lot of it comes back out.

 PS - I love that bib, which was a gift from his Aunt Shelly.

This week is Halloween week so the kids' music class had a costume day. Oliver was a dragon. Here he is waiting for class to start.

And in the stroller leaving class.

Today is Halloween, and I was hoping to take the kids trick-or-treating on Alberta to some local businesses but it was pouring rain. So then I was going to take them to the mall but Oliver took an extra long nap and we missed it. Instead, I dressed them up and took pictures in the living room. Eloise broke her antennae so her backup costume was a hula girl.