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!