6.5 years old!

February 7 is a significant date for me for two reasons. First, it was on February 7, 1997 that I met Paul at a ballroom dancing class. We started dating soon after that. Twenty-two years later that date is also significant because it's Oliver's half-birthday. My baby will be turning seven in six months! Birthdays are a BIG deal to my youngest. He frequently talks about what he wants to do at his next birthday. He doesn't focus on the gifts. I would say "gifts" is probably at the bottom of the list as far as the love languages go with Oliver. Physical touch and time are far more important to him. This boy LOVES hugs, kisses, and snuggling. I often call him my snuggle bear or cuddle bear. Last school year he was the one who objected the least to me going back to work. It was the other two who would at times cry about it and beg me to stay home. This school year HE is the one who dislikes me working outside the home the most. When I tuck him at night, it's usually the first thing he asks me, "Are you staying home tomorrow?" And the last question is always a request for one more hug.

When Ian was this age Ian still loved to wear a dress shirt and tie on Sundays. That's no longer a true statement for Ian. He'd much rather wear a sweater or polo shirt. Thus far Oliver still loves to wear a dress shirt and tie to church.

He's changed or showed progress in many areas over the past six months such as:

1. READING!!!! It took a very long time for him to finish Level one in the reading program, but now he's taken off. It won't be long until he's finished level 2. I'm guessing next fall he'll be in level 4 at the pace he is going now. He wants to read. He tries to read things he's not really ready to read yet. What a difference! The most recent skill he's been learning in terms of reading are soft "c" and "g" words (like slice and page). When Nadia turned 6.5 she was half way through Level four, and Ian finished level four and both of his siblings were reading chapter books prior to turning 6.5, but I could care less that Oliver is "behind" where his siblings were at this age because he's been making amazing

progress over the past about 4 months! Hopefully in the next six months Oliver will start reading chapter books and also pay better attention when I am reading a chapter book (or we listen to one on Audible). He did a little bit better job when we listened to Appleblossom the Possom recently.

2. Spelling!! I didn't even start him with spelling until a few months ago, and he is almost done with Level one. He'll be moving into Level two in the very near future! Way to go, Oliver! His most recent skills he's been working on have been compound words and plurals (ex. backpacks, dresses, etc.).

3. Ice skating!! As of the beginning of January he could only ice skate if he was holding on to something or someone. He can ice skate on his own now! Paul took the kids for ice skating lessons this week. He hadn't seen the kids skate in more than a year, and he was very impressed with how much progress all three of them had made and the fact that Oliver can now ice skate.

4. Basketball! He's definitely one of the weaker players on his team, but unlike his brief stint playing on a basketball team last year, he actually is running up and down the court (usually at the appropriate times), and he has attempted to make a basket. He's made one in practice. I have my doubts that he'll make one in a game this year, but I could be wrong.

5. Gymnastics! We're taking a break right now during basketball season, but Paul told me that Oliver really made a lot of progress in gymnastics in the fall.

6. Teeth: Two of his permanent teeth erupted and his baby teeth weren't wiggly so the dentist had to extract them. I was very proud of him for being a good patient. When Ian turned 6 1/2 he had only lost one tooth thus far, and Nadia lost five teeth before she turned 6 1/2.

7. Glasses: Both Oliver and Ian got their first pair of glasses before they turned 6 1/2. Nadia still doesn't have glasses at the age of 10 1/2.

In many regards he's the same as he was 6 months ago:
1. His favorite color is still green

2. His green blanket is still his lovie. That blanket is usually on the couch in the family room during the day and on his bed at night.

3. He's still a social butterfly who is obsessed with water balloons.

4. He still loves to dance and listen to music. He likes a wide variety of music - classical (such as the Nutcracker), Gregorian chants, music from the show Odd Squad, Christian contemporary, etc. Some music that he likes (such as Skillet) gives me a headache. He really loved the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert we attended the end of November.

5. He's still very generous. Way to go, Oliver!

6. He still eats just about anything. He typically has a bowl of dry cereal for breakfast. Lunch is either a ham and cheese hot pocket or a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich with half of an apple.

We love you, Oliver! I look forward to seeing how he'll grow and develop over the next six months!