14 months old!

At 5:19pm yesterday, Oliver turned 14 months old!

He's such a little boy now it amazes me. He's TALL and BIG and STRONG and has developed a mind of his own. He has opinions and clear desires. He is expressive and emotional.

He is on the brink of using walking as an official mode of transportation, though as of today, still no more than about 6-7 steps at any single time. He's become a much better sleeper, and his parents are immensely grateful. He is peculiar in his appetite - some days he would eat the roof if I gave it to him, and other days he'll pass on yogurt, a regular favorite. He's loud and babbles all the time, interrupting his parents for attention. He laughs infectiously all the time and becomes more ticklish by the day, especially under the chin. His thighs are more chunky than ever but his belly and cheeks have slimmed. He has become much more gentle with Mookie and often pets him nicely for a while. He loves other toddlers and likes to be hugged by little people. He likes his parents a lot (as it should be) and especially likes to wrestle with Dad and cuddle with Mom.

He's my 14 month old baby boy!

Running and Leading

I began running in 2006. When I crossed the finish line of my first 5K race I cried because it was such an incredible accomplishment for me, having been athletically challenged all my life and never even active at all. During that first race, in the lovely neighborhood of Ravenswood, I was totally inspired by a family I saw running all together. Mom was pushing a jogger stroller and Dad was cheering on his two young daughters. One girl gasped, "Daddy, I can't do it!" and he stopped and knelt with her and said, "of course you can honey, you're amazing and I'm right here with you!" (could have cried then too!) She picked her legs back up and finished with her whole family (and me.)

It was a clear vision that someday, I wanted to be the a role model to help my own kids lead active lives, in the outdoors, playing, running, biking, hiking, swimming, or sports (I'll figure out how to support organized sports somehow, perhaps with "Idiots Guide to Football".)

This morning I ran my second ever 10K, in a Women's Festival, but Chris and Oliver got up super early and came out to cheer me on. There is almost nothing that makes me happier than these types of moments - active, positive family togetherness. Ollie has now watched me in 3 races and ran in one himself with Dad pushing the stroller. I really hope that no matter how busy we get, how many excuses can be found, I can continue to be a positive role model for healthy living.
Before the race


My cheering squad!





Cloudy and humid morning on the lakefront


I did it! (Yes, I'm THAT red and THAT sweaty)


He got to nap first! Lucky baby.

Lessons Learned

We hustled after work last night to get to the blood bank due to the dire calls pleading for O- donations in the summer season of car accidents and stupid accidents and tragic accidents. Donating blood is a small thing I'm committed to doing for our world. I learned this directly from my Dad who was faithful and loyal to the blood bank. (Insert rant about the terrible and incorrect policies disallowing gay men from donating blood.)

So, Chris plays with Ollie while I donate. Ollie explores the canteen with fervor. Ollie says hello to everyone, woos them into his kingdom, makes world peace. Ollie eats the animal crackers and takes one step, crawls, one step, crawls (repeat x50).

So I walk across the street to the mega outdoor lovely mall while Chris donates in order to entertain the toddler and learn quickly that:

1) You really do need to wait in the canteen, hydrate and eat something after donating, especially when its 92 and humid, you ran 7.4 miles that morning and are on a pretty low calorie diet anyways.
2) They simply don't make baby shoes (sandals) in Size 4! I looked in four stores and there is a gap. My poor child just needs some sandals for beachtime fun!
3) When dizzy and weak from a blood donation, don't bend over time and time again to see if the next pair of baby Size 5's might fit.
4) There is no weakness, hunger or amount of whiney toddler that Rick Bayless tortas and tacos from Frontera Grill can't fix.

Those cuddly baby days...

After ten nights of 12+ hours of sleep (woo hoo!) Oliver must have had a bad dream last night and woke up around 9:30pm. He was really spooked and crying with full tears and working to catch his breath. I scooped him up, cuddled him in a blanket and rocked him. He quickly nestled into my arms and as he worked to stop his short breaths he played with my hair (a new darling little habit) and I thought about the incredible life of Oliver, his baby days, and how quickly they are passing. It had been months since I'd wrapped him in a blanket like that, a reminder of the first months of swaddling and the hours I spent sleeping in the recliner with his tiny body snoozing soundly against my chest (only to awake as soon as he was put down of course).

One of the most remarkable things about motherhood has been how natural and simple it feels for me. After the baby blues and the troubles of breastfeeding, becoming his Mommy has felt very easy, like a true match. I feel like I am meant to be here for him and to be a mother, like it's just the most innate thing I've done. There are very confusing moments, hard moments, challenging moments, countless exhausting and frustrating moments, but mostly I feel that these 14 months have been abundantly full of simply joyous moments.

No denying Oliver is a bit slow to walk, not on the developmental charts, but at least compared to friends. I think that it has given me some precious extra moments of baby time, for which I am grateful. He still wants to be held (needs to be carried) and just now, as he is discovering independence, sass, defiance and motion, he seems to be having a simultaneous step back and has spent a lot of time cuddled in my lap, wanting to be near me. He stands near me, holds my pant legs, pulls himself into my arms and crawls all over me, but not just in a roughhouse way, in a quiet and sweet "I love my Mommy" way.

As exhausting as a newborn is, in large part due to their total dependence on a mother, I feel that the small sadness and nostalgia of a first birthday is the beginning of separating from a child. He grows more independent all the time and someday won't need me at all. I suppose the parenting goal is to ensure he grows to be healthy and independent and also grows to choose his family, of free will.

Photographic evidence of Oliver's first weekend of walking. Check out the thighs.

Pops in Chicago.

My most beloved baby boy, who has been amazingly happy lately, often laughing at nothing at all. I ask him if he hears voices, but I think he just delights in existence.

The emotions of it all

Since becoming a mother my emotions for children worldwide have skyrocketed. I went on a run this morning and did a loop through a large park that was full of softball games.
Game 1: 2 friendly lesbian teams with 100 fans in camping chairs cheering them on.
Game 2: 14 year old boys with a few coaches
Game 3: Strong dark hispanic men playing baseball with 1 fan wearing a thong bikini.
Game 4: Tball game of 4 year old boys with oodles of parents and siblings. The players looked like babies running the bases with bobble helmet heads.
Game 5: Special needs teams with each kid on the field with a parent. At bat, a severely disabled little girl (who I'd actually met at the park before) in her wheel chair with her young father helping her "swing" at the ball.

Game 5 instantly brought tears to my eyes, mixed in with the sweat from running.

There is something about understanding the needs of a baby that makes me incredibly sensitive to the needs of the kids who so often simply don't get their needs met, go without and are in want. I'm grateful to provide for my child, I want to fill his life and keep loneliness away from him.

We just saw Where the Wild Things Are and both loved the movie and was left with a lingering awareness of how many times, countless times, I will fail Oliver. I will screw up, I will work too much, I'll ignore him, not see the importance of his forts and his adventures. "Being a family is hard," says KW to Max as they discuss the importance of a mother and why Max left home. I'm aware that my ability to protect him is finite, but my desire to try is infinite.




I'll eat you up, I love you so.

Steps!

We spent the afternoon at the pool today. Oliver loves the water. Today he learned the joy of hanging out on the side of the pool and jumping/leaping towards me. He then learned that he likes the steps and perimeter of the pool even more. As he was exploring the drains, steps, bolts and little pieces of rock, out of nowhere he went from crawling to standing, unassisted. And then poof, he took about 5 steps on his own and then stood for a few more moments before he squatted. He then did it again about 3 times, towards the fence. (I could do a whole entry on Ollie's love of fences). So, poof.

I declare today the day he first walked, just shy of 14 months.

Community pools are so fascinating to me. I grew up in California where about 90% of my friends and family had a backyard pool, so it's been really fascinating and excellent people watching for me to discover the joy of community gathering at the cooling well. The pools draw people of all types, all economic levels, all colors, etc. There is a general sense that people stick to themselves, but the parents with babies in the middle of the pool (avoiding the splashing and crazy 5-10 year olds) sort of interact as we bounce around with our babies. It feels good to be a part of the REAL Chicago summer. It is also free, so going to the pool is an easy an effective way to stay on budget over the weekends.

Oh boy.

Well......it happened. It was inevitable. Babies grow up, they explore, they get into everything.

That's right - Oliver took off his own poopy diaper during naptime and proceeded to paint the town brown! Hair gel, face paint, wall art.

Ick. 10,000 Super Dad points go to Chris who got to discover the massive mess while I was working.

The child will never be allowed to sleep in a diaper alone again! Back to a strict "Onesie at all times rule!"

The Face Fountains

After our anniversary weekend downtown we came home with a renewed commitment to getting downtown and exploring the urban parts of Chicago more regularly. We have easily slipped into a family Albany Park life with two cars and no reasons to be downtown anymore. So, as we looked at the long holiday weekend we decided to head to Millennium Park (yes, on the 4th of July) and be a part of the masses of people taking in the Chicago sites and heat. We took Ollie on the brown line, which he adored. Everytime the train started back up he smiled from ear to ear to feel the motion or see the houses moving past him.

He loved the water fountains and crawling around in the cool water. It's those moments that make me excited for him to walk, to reduce the risk of getting trampled, but he's tough and seemed to do just fine. He got caught in a surprise fountain deluge and Chris and I conked heads both going in to "rescue" him, but otherwise he liked seeing the people and splashing around.

We also showed him the infamous Chicago Bean, but that was shortlived due to the hot sun coming down and the crowds all at the same time that Ollie needed to be out of wet bathing suits and into a nap!

Summer in Chicago, doesn't get any better!

The delights of Oliver

Lately he:

laughs hysterically in his carseat for almost no reason. We've decided he's like his Mommy and just gets giddy silly when he's tired.

chews his toes.

babbles in a very big boy way, making sounds that sound so close to words and phrases it catches you off guard.

stands on his own at random moments. he took a couple steps the other morning towards a table of toys, but i haven't seen it since.

points to his hair when we ask and brushes it.

blows kisses, beginning with a little nibble of his hand and then the "mmmmmmahhh!" sound.

kisses me with a wide open mouth and little giggle.

pats his belly when he is laying on the changing table or pulls his shirt up to look at his belly button.

pulls the velcro on his sandals.

often sleeps through the night!

loves to rough house and wrestle.

puts all his bath toys in the toilet and then stares at them until we find him.

likes to go into closets or bathrooms and close the door and then laughs hysterically when i call out, "gee, where's Ollie?"

I love him.