23 Months Old

This is my last month of being a mother of a one-year old. Sob. This will probably also be my last "x months old" post after having written at least one a month for 6 years. Everyone says you take more pictures and such of your eldest child. I don't think there's much of a difference in terms of the quantity of pictures between my three children (certainly the quality went up when I bought my DSLR camera) although Nadia and Ian were definitely taken to photo studios more often, mainly because Picture Me and Sears photo studios closed when Oliver was an infant. However, I did keep writing these posts the longest with Nadia, shorter with Ian, and even a little shorter with Oliver. After his big 2 year old post next month, I'm going to start doing his every three months like I have been doing lately with his siblings. At some point I will probably switch to every six months for all three of them, but for now I think every three months will be just right for me.  Here's a description of what Oliver is like right now:

1. I knew I wouldn't be able to weigh him today, but on July 1st he weighed 27lb 3oz, which put him at the 63rd percentile! I think the pediatrician will be shocked when they weigh him for his 2 year appointment!

2. It was so sweet to watch him interact with Grace for nine days. They are 8 months apart in age and called each other "baby." Oliver initiated many hugs, but sometimes that knocked her over as Oliver is bigger and more stable when

standing than Grace is. He felt very badly whenever he accidentally knocked her over.

3. He's still a great eater, although he's not a big fan of fruit. He is drinking out of open cups, but he still hasn't fully mastered that skill. He calls both water and milk by the same name - "milk."

4. He sometimes remembers (without any prompting) to say "thank you." He only says "p(l)ease" when prompted to do so.

5. He is no longer noticing basketball hoops all the time (hopefully he'll still enjoy the one I got him for his birthday). Now he is always noticing vehicles. He's had a LOT of practice pointing out airplanes and helicopters in the sky here in Orlando. They fly by many times a day. He also often points out cars and trains. His favorite toys to play with right now are matchbox cars, small trains (from Ian's train table), and a little plastic figurine of Cookie Monster (he loves to pretend to feed him). "Cars" is

definitely one of the top five words he uses each day.

6. He seems to be ready to start potty training. One example would be that he now announces when he has pooped.

7. His favorite sounds to make are "moo,' "quack," and "choo choo."

8. He continues to be a great climber. His climbing skills far surpass his siblings' skills at this age.

9. He's gotten a lot braver with swimming and enjoying the splash pad. In fact, he has no fear (which means he needs very careful supervision).

10. He usually gets up between 6:15-6:30 every morning, although on this vacation he's gotten up as early as 5:30. The kids went to bed REALLY late last night, but he was still up at 6:11 this morning. He normally goes to bed at 8pm, and his afternoon nap is usually between 1-2 hours long (with 90 minutes being the average).

11. He still mostly just uses one word at a time, but sometimes he surprises us with longer phrases. The other day when he was playing in the pool with a shark, and as he let it go he said, "3, 2, 1, go". He said it more than once! Another favorite word these days is "buckle" because he insists on having a seat belt buckled when he's in a booster seat or high chair.

12. He's very generous with sharing food. His siblings take advantage of this somewhat. I have to remind him to give himself some too.

13. He loves books and really enjoys being read to, and I mean actual sentences not just naming objects on the pages. YAY!

Enjoy your last month as a one-year-old, Oliver! From August 7 through December 12, my kids will be 2, 4, and 6 years old.