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.

24 weeks old: pumpkin patch and more tripod sitting

There's Mister Bright Eyes! He's 24 weeks old today. The Fall is settling in here in Portland and out come all the cozy snuggly clothes, like this velour one-piece. Oliver's grabbing, gripping, and manipulating skills continue to improve although he still drops things a lot. He has started doing the happy baby pose now - grabbing his toes while on his back. 

Oliver still does not easily roll from front to back, I don't know why, but meanwhile he is working on his sitting skills. He enjoys the bebePOD and even more so just sitting in a tripod. He is holding a tripod sit for longer and longer periods of time. I wonder if he will get sitting down before rolling front to back? I'm not really worried about the rolling thing.

Oliver seems to really like the view that sitting provides. Including his favorite entertainment: watching his sister. Here's a video and the password is Oliver2015.

Oliver has started to assume a particular position when he's falling asleep in someone's arms lately. It's the thumb suck combined with an arm slung over his eyes. It's the cutest.

An exciting first this week was Oliver's first visit to the pumpkin patch. It was all of our first visit to this particular patch, Roloff Farms. There was so much for kids to do! A petting zoo, panning for "gold," an obstacle course, slingshots with wood targets, a "horse" race through a hay bale track (bouncing on balls with handles), pony rides, and more. Oliver enjoyed it all from the front carrier. We got four pumpkins - one representing each of us - and then after putting them in the car came back in to enjoy the other attractions and have corn dogs for lunch. I tried to get some photos of the kids but none were very good.

Roloff Farms is where the TV show, Little People Big World, is filmed and we happened to be there on a day of filming. It was interesting to see all the cameras around capturing the day at the pumpkin patch. Eloise walked right into one of the little people sons! On the way out I snapped a picture of the mom in the craft area. It's kind of a neat story of Oliver's first trip to the pumpkin patch.

23 weeks old: Meeting Aunt Kate, Scarecrow Fest, and Chicago

Oliver's first visit to Chicago happened during a very exciting time in Cubs history. We were right in the middle of the National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, and on the final day of our visit, won the series. That's the first time in the almost 100 years that the Cubs have been playing at Wrigley Field. Chicago has always been a city with a lot of pride in the sports teams, but it was electric to be there during this time. Everywhere we went we saw people wearing Cubs gear, flying "W" flags, etc. And when the games were on, the cheers were deafening. Oliver got his first Cubs t-shirt to show pride in his roots.

Last Saturday, Oliver got to meet his Aunt Kate and her two kids at her house before we left to go to the Scarecrow Fest in my hometown of St. Charles together. Her daughter, Izzie, is 5 years old and her son, Oliver, is 3 years old. Her son Oliver is sort of our Oliver's namesake, in that when he was born I fell in love with the name and it never waned.

Sunday we went back to St. Charles alone to see more of the Scarecrow Fest. Oliver got his first experience in a petting zoo, although his view was from the front carrier.

We spent a lot of time at Shelly's house laying low and just getting to spend time with her and Oliver's Uncle Kevin. I didn't take many pictures during those times but trust me, he got a lot of love. 

On Monday night we had one last visit with the Orals family and had dinner at a local Italian restaurant called Moretti's. It's nothing special for the area, but it would be a great place in Portland I think. The Italian restaurants in Chicago are just so far superior. And there are a lot more of them! I really enjoyed the food in addition to the company. Oliver slept through a lot of it in his dad's arms. You can see just his baby head on the right side of this picture. And that's his namesake sitting next to him!

In developmental news, Oliver continues to explore toys with his hands and mouth. And, has been saying the letter G! I tried to capture it on video but only got some excited noises. Still, it was cute. The password is Oliver2015.

22 weeks old: a going away party, first flight, and meeting more family

What a busy week for Oliver! We started with a going away party for friends that are moving to Iowa and Oliver dressed up in his first disguise. It cracks me up to look at this picture.

Oliver is getting more and more adept at grabbing things and bringing them to his mouth. He is constantly reaching for things, people, and animals that come near him. He is interested in everything and isn't picky. An empty water bottle with a colorful label will keep him entertained for a long time. He is also gaining strength and pushes himself up with straight arms. He also brings his knees underneath him and if he put the two together he'd be in a position to start crawling. But he's not there yet.

Eloise continues to provide Oliver's favorite entertainment. He smiles and laughs a lot when he watches her. It warms my heart so much! Eloise is stomping in this video, and the password is Oliver2015.

On Thursday, Oliver took his first flight to go to Chicago. He did great! He was in good humor and slept for part of the flight. 

We stayed with my sister, Shelly and he really enjoyed spending time with her and Uncle Kevin. He was his usually smiley self. Their cat, Stormy, also provided some excitement when he walked by or laid down nearby. 

21 weeks old: tripod siting and a play date

Oliver turns 21 weeks old today! Look at this little guy. He's the sweetest. This week he has been working on his tripod sit. He can hold it for a few seconds until he reaches for something that catches his eye and topples over. Eloise likes to get in on the action when the phone camera comes out. They can see themselves in the screen.

Oliver has been doing lots of grabbing and man does this kid have a strong grip! It is so cute to watch him stick his little arms out to grab something that comes near him with total focus on getting it in his hand. And he is a hair grabber. When I hold him he'll wrap his little arms around my neck and grab two fistfuls of hair to yank. Ouch!

We had a play date this week with Eloise's regular play group. Three of the second kids were there who were each born a month apart. Oliver was born in May, Ben in June (on the right), and William in July (on the left). I hope they will be little buddies just like their older siblings.

We had another visit with the physical therapist this week for Oliver's head tilt. It's still there but improving. In fact when I look at the photo above I see Oliver tilting to the right. The physical therapist said to keep doing what we're doing and make sure he's not slumping to the right in the stroller. She recommended a positioner to use in the stroller that keeps him sitting straight even when he's sleeping. We have a follow up in three weeks.

And finally, Oliver has recently become very interested in his feet. When he catches sight of them he reaches out to grab them and becomes very focused. I wonder if he realizes they are attached to him. I got a picture but when I got out the phone camera he became more interested in the baby on the screen. And of course, Eloise jumped in. Love her, too.