9 & 10 Month Update ~ December 2009

Back in November, we took a trip down to Houston and Oliver got to meet Grandpa Palko for the first time.  After Oliver warmed up a bit, he and Grandpa hit it off very nicely.

While we were in Houston, we also went to the Downtown Aquarium.  It was Oliver's first visit to the aquarium (Tyler's second visit), and the boys had a blast seeing all the fish and especially getting up close and personal with the stingrays through the special kid-sized bubble in their tank.

At about nine months old, Oliver figured out how to pull himself up to a standing position, and once he figured that out, he figured out he could get pretty much anywhere his big brother was to check up on him and what he's up to at any given moment.

Between eight and nine months old, Oliver's first two bottom teeth started coming in and then soon after those, his top two teeth broke through, too.  They didn't seem to bother him too much, and he was just happy that all the new teeth meant an end to all that disgusting pureed baby food and more real people food coming his way.

And luckily, he has a big brother who is more than willing to sneak him bites of real people food off his own plate.

Our first Christmas with two kiddos was a very memorable one and also a very busy one, as always.  Tyler loved telling Oliver all about Christmas and having another little Santa's helper running around this year.

Oliver had a blast opening presents, trying to eat wrapping paper, playing with all his new toys and being tempted with one of Papa's famous beignets.  Yes, that's powdered sugar on Oliver's nose, but none of it made it to his mouth... at least not while his mama was watching!

7 & 8 Month Update ~ October 2009

After outgrowing the bassinet he slept in for the first six months of his life, Oliver was finally evicted from Mama and Daddy's room and is sleeping in his crib now.  Well, if you can call his fifteen-minute naps and being up every three or four hours at night sleeping.  But when he does actually sleep, he's almost cute enough to make up for his otherwise lack of sleep.

We've been trying lots of new foods over the past couple of months, and Oliver is not at all shy about letting us know what he likes and doesn't like.  He didn't like squash or green beans -- and he made it quite clear that he did not care for carrots, thank you very much!

The past few weeks, Oliver's not really been interested any of the pureed baby food anymore, but he will tolerate applesauce, pears and sweet potatoes, and his favorite so far, prunes.  But he really prefers it when we just hand over the spoon and let him have at it.

As part of his training for the Cantrell Brothers Band, Oliver has been enrolled in Drumming 101, taught by Tyler.  Oliver pretty much lights up anytime his big brother looks at him, so it would be an understatement to say he's enjoying the drum lessons.

Our big boy is sitting up all by himself now and crawling all over the place.  He's into everything now and that means he ends up stuck in some pretty funny places sometimes.

Oliver's newfound mobility means that he can always keep tabs on his big brother.  Poor Tyler can't hide from his baby brother now.  Even his tent isn't sacred anymore!

Oliver's latest party trick is waving.  He can't say bye bye yet, but he can wave at anyone who's coming or going.  It might take him a few minutes, and sometimes the person is already long gone by the time he does wave, but it's still a pretty cute trick!

6 Month Update ~ August 2009

 Happy six months to Oliver!  We celebrated with a rice cereal party.  Oliver had been watching us eat with great interest and envy for a while now, so he knew exactly what to do with the spoon.  We think a few bites of cereal might have even made it into his mouth.

In his first few weeks of eating, Oliver has sampled rice cereal, squash and peas.  Oatmeal, sweet potatoes and applesauce are up next, and Oliver is very excited about his culinary prospects.  Not nearly as excited as he was about the cheeseburger Daddy was teasing him with a few weeks ago, but he'll take whatever he can get at this point.

Oliver has some crazy hair, and it just might be the cutest thing ever.  It's so fuzzy and soft -- perfect for running your fingers through, styling into a snazzy mohawk or just blowing into it and cracking up.

Oliver is getting more mobile every day, rolling and scooting around everywhere.  His newest trick is getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth.  It's probably only a matter of days before he starts crawling and starts getting into all of his big brother's stuff.  Let the fighting begin!

Future fist fights aside, having two boys is so much fun!  I'm so excited to watch them grow up together, play together, and yes, even fight, and I'm so blessed to be their mom.

4 & 5 Month Update ~ July 2009

 Our days are finally getting more scheduled lately, and that's a good thing for everyone's sanity.  Oliver usually takes two or three naps a day, and this makes for a much happier baby and Mama.  But with a big brother who likes to put on rousing concerts on the drums (and various other musical instruments), naps don't always work out so well.  On those cranky, no-nap days, Oliver sometimes ends up like this, face-down on Daddy's chest at 6:00 PM.

Tummy time is still not a favorite of Oliver's, but it's a lot more fun when he has something to distract him.  Like that cute baby in the mirror...

...or a hilarious big brother.

We're not sure if he's actually teething yet, but Oliver loves to chew on anything he can get his hands on, which is just about everything these days.  He's also discovered his hands recently and loves to suck on his fingers.  The thumb is especially delicious!

At his (late) four month check up, Oliver weighed in at 15 lbs, 5 oz.  It's still shocking to us how much bigger he is than Tyler was.  For comparison, Tyler only weighed 18 lbs at one year old.  At least I'm getting a good workout every day while I carry our little whopper around.  Plus, it makes his belly, cheeks and chins even more edible -- and helps him float better in the pool, too.

Oliver is generally a cheerful, content baby, although he does have his meltdown moments when he proves he does have a temper.  He's already showing off lots of personality and has quite the variety of expressions.

And of course, we love every single one of them.

Especially this one.