Active Oliver

Ollie is a tornado these days - literally constant motion. He gets into everything and anything in no time at all and I feel like I spend my home time with him chasing him around the condo (an activity that makes me insane), putting pots back into cupboards, pulling lotions and deodorant out of the toilet, putting logs back in the fire, closing doors and re-hanging towels. I also spend lots of time pulling him out or rooms, out of closets or out of the dishwasher or dryer. This simple action often leaves him splayed on the floor half crying and half pouting. We also spend lots of time playing up/down up/down. He likes to be near me and see what I'm doing, whether it's tooth brushing, makup application, dishes, cooking or computer work, so there is lots of up/down. It's exhausting and there are lots of moments, particularly when Chris is gone, that I end up feeling a little crazy from the repetitive and monotonous chase. I hate those moments where I feel like I don't know what to do with him. His attention span is so short right now, so books, blocks or games last about 3 minutes and he's off again. I often just plain feel like I have no idea what to do with this kid! I think I am the best mom when I take him places, go places, play outside, so errands and explore, but I also don't want to over-plan his life and end up with a kid who goes from activity to class, though I totally get why parents do that! I do think there is a lesson for me in the downtime, choosing to just play, crawl around, walk around, BE in our home. I work diligently to have solid times when I avoid the computer or phone, to just BE with him.

In the midst of his tornado behavior I also see him growing. He's getting sillier by the day with much more understanding of how to make people laugh, how to make jokes and illicit laughter. I love the moments when I do catch him deep in thought, figuring something out, working hard to stack blocks or reading a book. He has a new shopping cart and he works very hard to pack as many items as he can into the cart on his condo shopping sprees. His mind is obviously expanding.

He repeats more and more words, even "Santa" and "Christmas" yesterday. I was trying to teach him to say "one" when he is asked his age, and I'd hold his finger up and say, "I'm ONE" and he'd respond, "Set go!!" Clearly his favorite phrase of the moment.

I can't wait for Oliver to get more into playing dress up! It was one of my favorite things as a kid and I think he'll love it someday. For now, getting propped into Mommy's heels is fun enough.

Football?

Could we someday actually attend football games??

The beginning of the Thanks

We celebrated an early Thanksgiving with my dearest Chicago friends today and it was wonderful. Chris asked everyone to share some of their personal reasons for gratitude and I was flooded with my own. As I sat listening to my urban family sharing the joys of their lives, with my adorable toddler chomping on turkey next to me, my devoted and remarkable husband next to him, my incredible brother and best friend across the table, Ollie's godparents nearby and people who know me and love me exactly how I am, I felt very full. I love Thanksgiving, I love the whole month and try to do my best to be thankful every day.

Today I shared that I am thankful for my families, the Hozacs, the Hoffs and the Berzacs.
I am thankful for how motherhood has changed me.
I am thankful for running.
I am thankful for a job where I am good at doing good.

Some new words...

Ollie does lots of random repeats, but here are some of his own words this week!

"WaWa" for water
"Shoo" for shoes
"Ouww" for outside
Up for "pick me up"
Nigh Nigh for "I'm tired"
Daa for "all done"
"Uh ohh" for anything spilled, dropped or thrown on the floor

18 month old Oliver, comin' round the bend.

Working Mom

It can be tough to be a working mom. There are long days away from my son and sometimes I miss him so much it hurts. I mostly hate the feeling that I miss out on little stuff, small developments, new words, new experiences. These past 18 months have been a real blessing for me in that Chris has been home most of the time while he's been in grad school. It's allowed us flexibility in scheduling, a parent with our child, and most importantly, it gets me as close as possible to being a part of his days. Most days I get text messages with pictures of Oliver in their adventures and messages to Mommy.

They are a small little something that make a huge difference.

"Here's my new spot."


One of the first full tantrums caught on iPhone.
This one related to his passion for Nutrigrain bars.


On an overnight trip away I called to sing him a song and this was the reaction I got to see a few minutes later.


Nigh Night Mommy!


Daddy attempted field trip to the park cut short by an impromptu nap.

2 Ollie-isms

Oliver has learned lots lately! Two of my favorites:

1. He's learned "Ready, Set, Goooo!" He loves to respond to us with the "set go" part and uses it with cars, before smashing towers of blocks, or especially when we're walking together and he swings between our arms. He's also getting into more occasions that require discipline and did really well with good ole "1, 2, 3" to stop something (knocking over lamps, running into parking lots and eating dog food).
Last night he was pulling Mookie's tail and I told him to stop and went into counting.
Mommy: "Oliver, stop pulling Mookie's tail."
Oliver: Smirk
Mommy: "ok, 1...."
Oliver: "set, go!"

fail.

2. He's learned the art of hugging! Well, mostly. He's learned that a hug means putting his head against my chest and saying "aww", but no arms. Every single time he says "aww" but the arms are flat at his sides. He's a 2/3 copycat.

the BEACH

I'm behind on blogging, but in general life is good! We got to spend several days out in San Simeon, CA - an extremely quiet little central coast beach town. Every morning Oliver and I would go out to play in the foggy sandy mornings while Chris slept in, and I think I'll cherish those moment forever. The sounds of the waves, his squeals of delight and the laughter made a perfect combination. We drove down Hwy 1 and watched the amazing Big Sur coastline bend back and forth. We toured Hearst Castle and saw elephant seals. We avoided cell phones, enjoyed family and felt very peaceful. What a treat!

Adventurous boy, this is after he'd already decided to sit right in the tide and gotten soaking wet.

Watching a Cambria sunset


Talking to the water


Ragged Point (near Big Sur)

A year in pumpkins

As we enter the holiday season I'm very aware of "one year ago" thoughts, even more so than Oliver's birthday season. The holidays are so special for me and I feel like they are coming alive with a child around to experience the fun and magic of it all. I remember taking him to a Pumpkin themed 5K race last year and seeing the "kids races" and thinking about my tiny baby cuddled in my arms and all he had yet to experience. We went again yesterday (I ran a PR!) and he was a giraffe and he was so friendly, walking up to other kids and adults, showing off his cuteness, playing with dogs and then eventually clapping as I ran past the finish line. When I came to see him we went and played on the hill, running up and down, throwing sticks and crunching fall leaves. He's a boy now, a kid!

5 months


17 months

16 months!

Wow, a 16 month old little boy lives in our house. He's practically running everywhere he goes, though still with a significant "waddle" and arm flap to his step. He's discovered the joy of the chase and loves to spend time in parks running for the gates and parking lots, only to be cut off (over and over) by his parents who swoop in to block the exit.

He babbles loudly all the time, but interestingly, there almost seem to be less words now than a month ago. He seems to be saying Mama more clearly now though, and he'll do more random repeats of single words.

He's become more aggressive with Mookie, blatantly pushing him out of the way.

He loves food, especially if it is food in Mom or Dads hands. So, I'm trying to get better about making sure all snacks and meals are at the kitchen table, so he doesn't think food happens all over the place. He's still on his bedtime bottles, and we still need to cut those out, but you know, every night it seems like it won't hurt to just wait one more! Mostly he's been sleeping well, 2 good naps (especially when Daddy is in charge!) and 12 hours at night, with usually one diaper change around 5am. He has regressed in bedtimes this week, often laying down (sleeping?) for about 30 minutes and then screaming until we get him back up for 20 minutes of bonus playtime.

He's vaguely enjoying the Aquababies class with Dad, though not so interested in blowing bubbles of floating.

He thinks it's hilarious to take off his diapers in the few seconds between diaper and pants, oy.

He also thinks it's pretty funny to go after something naughty (sitting in the fireplace for example) and stop mid-act, turn around to look at us with a winning grin, then attempt to proceed with a giggle.

I'm actually excited to Fall with him and excited for how much more fun pumpkin patches, Halloween costumes, hayrides and raking leaves will be with a toddler. I might even attempt to sew his costume this year, like a good ole mommy.

More running

I ran my first half-marathon last weekend, alongside my little sister Laura. It was a huge accomplishment for me and we both felt proud. I think I would already sign up for another one actually, perhaps the Louisville Derby half-marathon next April. We want to make sure we visit some Midwestern cities before we'd ever move away from Chicago, and running events seem like a good excuse to take a long weekend. I think about my first 5K in 2006 and how running has changed my life and I'm pretty amazed. The 13.1 miles were really hard, but I'm the type that does well with a specific goal in mind, so it seems that I'd want to continue to strive for big races.

I was thrilled that my sister did this with me, even though we had to "train together" across 2,100 miles. It was really great that my brother, husband and baby all came out to cheer us on!

Exciting News!

Oliver is going to have a new cousin next March! Aunt Beth and Uncle Andy surprised us at the Houghton Lake cabin this summer with this adorable t-shirt as their announcement. I'm so excited to have a new baby in the family, and my bet is on a boy (they are going to have the sex be a surprise!)

It's a Tough Life

Goin for a ride with Daddy


Costco fun!


Does my outfit distract you from the dog food I'm trying to eat?


I need some more toys Mommy.

Go with the flow

One of the things I'm learning to love about parenthood is the mandatory lesson in relaxing and going with the flow. Toddlers are in charge and while I think we are creating basic boundaries and rules, we're also learning to let him make choices and follow his lead.

Last Friday we went out to the lakefront to soak up every moment of summer we could and enjoyed some BBQ on the beach, then went down to the dog beach to let Mookie run around (which actually means he just runs in a 15' diameter of me). I took off Oliver's shoes and expected him to play in the sand, but nope! He went straight into the lake and immediately sat down (imagine how heavy that cloth diaper got!). He loved it. He sat in the shallow water playing for twenty minutes, watching dogs run around, splashing, attempting to take some sips and smiling at his parents above. We didn't have a towel or a change of clothes, but who cares, he loved it and didn't mind riding home in a diaper and covered in sand.

Life is short, toddlers remind old people of this. Go with the flow, it won't hurt!

Back to School

Chris went back to school tonight for Semester #3 in grad school and as a stay-at-home Dad. I'm so proud of him for making this all work and I hope that we can teach Oliver the benefits of education by our examples.

Sick lil' Boy

Oliver got a cold yesterday and is pretty pathetic sicky. He's been happy while awake, but sleeping is hard since he's coughing and can't use his Nuk all that well with a stuffed nose. Last night I just got him up and he sat with me, looking right into my eyes, touching my hair, smiling under his runny nose and being still. He couldn't let himself sleep despite being so tired, but he did let himself rest in my arms. He eventually went and climbed into one of his toy boxes and sat there for a long while too, equally still and inquisitive. I love being a Mom.

15 months

Oliver at 15 months: happy, curious, cuddly, sweet, fast, exploratory, demanding, delightful.Fluffy and ready to roll

Needy and fussy

Tricky, smart and silly

Since learning to walk, Oliver hasn't looked back. I keep wondering if he'll crawl again, but he hasn't once. While playing at the park recently he couldn't quite figure out how to walk down a ramp, the slope being too sharp, so he went down to his knees. Fooled me though, he thought it made sense to go down like Superman, on his belly, arms out! Though the slope was too flat for that option too. He also independently walked up to a slide, sat down, scooted to the front and went straight down. Big boy stuff!

He likes to fold his arms and rest his chin, on the kitchen table, on Dad's head when being carried on shoulders.

Yesterday morning he was playing in the bathroom while I did my makeup and he disappeared. I ran out to find that he had plunged a roll of wrapping paper into the toilet.

He has found out dryer and turns it on all the time, also turns off our furnace switch.

He asks for things he wants and has much more memory for where things are kept, what's left on tables, etc. He'll come back to the kitchen counter and reach and whine "no no no" which translates to, "can I please have my sippy cup that you left there an hour ago?"

He sleeps 12-13 hours in the night with another 3-4 hours of naps in the day. Active baby! More often than not the night is straight though, no waking up! With that came a realization that without realizing it, I no longer rock him to sleep. I cuddle him before bed and sing songs, but it's been over 2 months since he fell asleep on my chest and I carefully transferred him to his crib.

He is working on words, still mostly "no" and "banana", but he also dabbles with dada, mama, doggy, ball, outside, vroom vroom, and YES.

Naked Baby

Who doesn't love a naked baby toddling around the lake house at twilight?