17Month Milestones

I figure I better do this quick before another month is behind us.  Boy is time really flying by.  Adam and I were looking at the videos we have made over the past year and it is almost hard to remember what life was like when Oliver was just learning to walk (February) let along crawl (last September).  Luckily, I have scribbled down notes from past months to help job my memory for my (supposed) baby book. 

Lots of crib notes for the babybook after the break.

It has been interesting seeing Oliver's personality develop. He is definitely slow to warm up to new surroudings and people, but can be quite a charmer when he wants to be. My mom and I joke that you have to earn a smile from him, not like his cousins that walk around grinning from ear-to-ear. While he's a happy lil guy, he's also a bit reserved -- and very much like his daddy.

Favorite games currently include piggyback rides, "i'm going to get you" chasing, and throwing things down the staircase (Adam stands at the bottom and is usually running or throwing the ball back). 
He also is always asking to go outside, and loves, loves, loves his trike. He also enjoys "rocky, rocky" on the rocking horse in his room. And, how could I forget, playing fussball with daddy in the basement - Adam shoves the coffee table to the side of the fusstable so Oliver can stand and watch him play. Oliver loves to throw the balls in the goal and yell "Goal!".

Oliver has gotten really good at mastering staircases. He can sometimes go up them holding the handrail himself, and can take the steps really well if he hold his hands. His balance does concern me a bit -- I really hope he hasn't gotten my klutzy gene! 
All 4 of his back molars have come in already and his canine teeth have all poked through, rather uneventfully. If he was having teething pain, we either didn't notice it, or didn't attribute the middle-of-the-night wakes ups to teething pain (hmmm... makes me think now!) .

I think we are through the worst of his picky-eating phase and I can FINALLY stop making baby food. More often he's able to eat what we are for dinner, and that even includes the occaisional bites of meat. He's still a skinny boy and you can see his ribs when he is shirtless. We'll have to see what the doc says at the 18mo appointment. I don't really think there is all that much we can do about it - he's an active boy!

As you can see by the top photo, Oliver's love of keyboards, computers, and generally getting into mischief with our electronics is alive and well. He can also reach things on the counters, kitchen table and my desk, which has been a bit frightening. More than a couple of times now, we have caught him with a pen or highlighter drawing on the ottoman in my office.