POTD: Barking Orders

This morning, Oliver got up around 6:15am and quietly laid in bed with us, since we didn't quite need to be starting our day.  On days he is cooperative (and not screaming to go downstairs for some cereal) it has become one of my favorite parts of the day.  After about 15min, he asked to watch Bob the Builder.  I told him that we would turn on the TV once Daddy gets up to take a shower. 

Oliver replies "Go shower, Daddy!" and starts pushing Adam, trying to get him out of bed.  "Shower, Daddy! Water!" Pretty hysterical!

"Don't bother me Mommy, I'm concentrating!"

POTD: Make Believe

Oliver is just starting to be able to use his imagination and it is a lot of fun to see take shape.  I just got this photo from Pauline from the playground.  She included a little note that "he loves to play that I buy ice cream from him"   How cute is that? 

Taking Turns

Oliver decided that Kermie should take a turn on the Radio Flyer - how cute!

Christmas Cuteness Report & Sick Boy

Since the Christmas tree came down a little over a week ago, Oliver has asked "Christmas Tree?" every time we have brought him downstairs.  Poor lil' guy misses the lights.  Today, he & Pauline were playing with his Thomas Train and he took the little evergreen, announced "Christmas Tree" and put in the corner of the living room where we had kept the tree.  How darn cute is that????

In other news, I had to take him to the pediatrician this AM.  Turns out Oliver has not only the eye infection we suspected, but also an ear infection (so swollen the doc couldn't believe he hadn't been complaining more) and eczyma.  Poor kid! And here we've been complaining about how frequently he has been getting us up at night lately.  

Oliver is still just above the 10% percentile for weight - he doesn't even weigh 24lbs!  But the doc assured me that toddlers often plateau and the illness hasn't helped his appetite any.  Turns out the eye/ear infections are viral related back to when he was sick on Christmas Eve! 

The doc mentioned multiple times how impressive Oliver's vocabulary and verbal skills were.  {Beaming Mommy!}  The two of us were having trouble getting a word in, Oliver was so chatty while we were there (I wonder where he gets that from?).  He kept telling us "baby scared" because we could hear a screaming infant in the room next door.  Apparently, he is speaking at a 3year old level - I wish I could take credit, but I think that's more luck of the draw and not related to any stupendous parenting efforts.  Whatever, I'll take the credit!  Hey -its my blog, I can brag if I want to!

Video: Counting and Hide & Seek

Oliver's latest favorite game is playing Hide & Seek.  We started with Adam hiding, but the options were pretty limited for where he would fit in Oliver's room.  Then we played with Ricardo the monkey.  That got too easy, so now we play with one of his "Little People" 

The game is a great opportunity to work on his counting (we make him count to ten before he can start looking) which he can do it in both English AND German, with a little help!  It's also a great way to learn words like on, above, behind, below, next to, etc... 

I finally got out the video camera to document - enjoy!  (You will need to turn your volume up to hear the counting in the beginning of the second one)

POTD: Veggie-lover

Tonight, as a snack to distract Oliver while we were getting dinner ready, Adam gave him the last 4 inches of a cucumber, which he ate like normal people would eat an apple or a banana!  This kid!

Night-night Time

"Night-night Time" is a very popular game in our house recently.  Oliver is constantly asking us to put a sheet or a towel down and then asking us to sleep.  It is very cute.  He will lay more calmly when we are playing this game than when we are trying to get him to lay quietly in our bed on the mornings he gets up early!

Tonight, Oliver wanted Car-O (Ricardo) to play with us.  I was so happy my camera was close by!

Putting Ricardo to sleep

hugs

POTD: So Vain

We have been trying to use our Flip Vidoe camera more frequently to capture all of Oliver's cuteness (movie collage hopefully to follow soon).  Oliver loves nothing more than watching himself on screen. Perhaps we have a budding actor?  Gee, I hope not!

Bed, Bed!

On Friday morning, I got up with Oliver & was trying to keep him entertained in the office (so that Adam & Katharina could sleep) while I got some work done.  In a desperate plea to entertain, I pulled out a beach towel from my not-yet-unpacked-Girls-Weekend bag.  Oliver was immediately impressed with the new activity.  After some peek-a-boo, I laid it flat on the floor, and Oliver called it a bed.  He would lay on it and pretend to sleep and wanted me to do the same.  His favorite part was when my eyes would open and I would "wake up".  He would try to do it too - very cute. 
 

Maybe I should bring the towel into bed with us tomorrow morning when he gets up at 5:30am, again. 

My Heart Melted

After two days away on a business trip, I was happy to have some 1-on-1 time tonight with Oliver, since Adam was out for drinks.  After his bath, as I was bundling him in the towel and giving him a snuggle, I told him that I love him and he said "I love you!" back... AWWWWW!!!!!!

When I told Katharina (Dita, as Oliver calls her) she told me that they had been reading "Peek-a-boo, I love you!" today.  Awesome that I got to reap the benefits!

I. Love. This. Age.

Oliver & I had another great morning.  He really wanted to go outside (because of all the fun we had yesterday), but I wasn't up for another trip to the playground.  So I put shoes & a jacket on over his Pjs, and out we went to sit on the patio.   

After some bubble fun and an apple snack, he was content sitting on my lap, looking for airplanes in the sky.  I got to enjoy the crisp autumn air with a cup of tea and toddler-conversation.  Oliver announced everytime a bus would go by (there's a busstop right on our corner) and everytime he heard a truck and once told me to "da-da" (dance) when he heard a car stereo.  Oliver also got a big kick out of the remote-camera function.  It is just so amazing how much he can really communicate with us now!   

Steering Wheels!!!!

Oliver's latest love.... steering wheels!  When he sees one, nothing else matters.  Adam made the mistake of letting him play with the steering wheel in the VW one afternoon at the club, and getting him into his car seat has been a real treat ever since.  The last two times he was at the Please Touch Museum, Oliver wanted nothing to do with anything else and threw mini temper tanturms when you would pull him away.  Of course, at the playground, the steering wheel is a favorite as well. 

Adam ordered Oliver one online last night. He's going to be one happy boy when he realizes he has his very own steering wheel to play with all day long. 

At Please Touch

more of Please Touch

Smiths Playground

VW fun

In June - after strawberry picking (doesn't he look so young?)

Bilingual boy

Conversation with Oliver this morning.....
Daddy: what's this?
Oliver: eyes!
Daddy: what's this?
Oliver: nose!
Daddy: what's this?
Oliver: Ohren (ears)
It has made it a bit harder to decode what he is saying since you aren't always sure what language he is talking in.  Its very cool to see him on the path to being bilingual!!!

Family Hour

Adam & I make a point of the time between dinner & bedtime being quality family time.  We both put off whatever needs doing and spend time together, normally in Oliver's room.  One night I was folding laundry (OK, we don't entirely put off chores during this hour), and made a game of playing with the sheets.  The simple joys of being a toddler!  With all the plastic, high-tech crap that kids have these days (boy, do I sound like an old fart), it was nice to see his delight in something so easy/basic.  

Oliver grew disinterested while Daddy was hiding under the sheet

Cuteness Report

This morning, as I was turning on my computer with Oliver sitting on my lap, he kept saying "Da!  Da!".  I couldn't figure out what he was saying until he starting moving his arms the way he dances.  He was trying to say "Dance" - he wanted me to turn on some music. 

His dancing is super-cute -- will post a video soon). 

Water Fun

We bought Oliver a water play table that finally arrived.  And today, Jana got him a small pool.  The kid is suddenly in love with water all over again - what timing!  He's now at the point where he can play with something for 20-30min at a time, which is nice for Jana.  Less work to keep him out of trouble when he is entertained.

Funny story from today.  We stripped him down to his birthday suit, to splash around.  He peed and it was absolutely hilarious to see his face.  He was looking at the stream of pee trying to figure out where it was coming from.  Afterwards, he was looking/playing with his belly button.  Nope, not from there! 

Newest Trick

On Thursday, Oliver figured out how to make his rocking horse move all on his own.  It was great seeing the joy on his face as he was able to make it rock back & forth. 

Chicken Dance

As a joke, at my wedding, my father and I did the chicken dance before the father-daughter waltz.  only my sister, the DJ, and the photographer were in on the joke!  My mom had made a comment along the lines of "they better not play the chicken dance at your wedding!", which started the whole thing.  When they first started the music, Adam actually leaned over to his best man and made some comment about me killing the DJ.  Anyway.....

Shortly after the wedding, my dad's girlfriend bought me a semi-stuffed chicken that sings the chicken dance and flaps its arms.  When Oliver was younger, it absolutely terrified him and he would scoot as far away from it as he could if you turned it on.  My how things have changed.... he is currently OBSESSED with it!  Especially now that he can push the button himself to start/stop it (which means you hear "Want to do the chicken dance?" about twice as often as you hear the actual song). 

It's best when he dances along.  We haven't quite figured out the clapping that goes with it yet, but give him another couple of weeks and he will have it down.  I will try and take a video of him and the dancing chicken this weekend. 

Messy Eating

We have officially entered the messy-eating phase.  On Thursday night Oliver knocked his entire bowl of food to the ground (and I resorted to serving him a frozen waffle for dinner-  something I swore I would never do).  On Saturday and Sunday his dinner consisted primarily of white rice (ugh) with more ending up on the floor than in his mouth, but he was a happy boy!

Oliver's latest kitchen favorite

We have always handed Oliver a cooking tool to entertain him while we were trying to cook or clean up- past items have included a wisk, multiple spatulas, spoons, & wine stoppers.  Lately, his fave is walking around with the pieces of our food processor which he gets out of the pantry cabinet himself.