Update on Ollie's Development!

I'm sorry, Oliver, that you're of the online generation and won't have something to physically touch when it comes time to show you your babyhood.  Regrettably, I don't use the baby book that your Aunt Jess and Aunt Courtney panistakingly picked out for you.  Hopefully, however, you'll have a scrapbook if you can ever leave me alone long enough.  :)So I'm cataloging your developments here!

You are almost 15 months.

1 - Your favorite word right now is "this."  You want to know what everything is and you point all the time.  "This?!?"  "That's the ceiling fan, should we turn it on?"  "THIS?!?"  "That's your banana, can you take a bite?"  "This" is the only word we can understand that you say, unless you repeat something we've said. 

2 - Another word is "bah-bah", which can mean a lot of different things.  You could be babbling or referring to something that starts with "b" (water bottle, book, banana), but most of the time it means "bye-bye."  If it's accompanied with a wave, which you just started doing, it means "goodbye."  If it's accompanied by a toy, it means that you're singing while putting away a toy - or trying to put away a toy.  (Sometimes you go to put away a toy and find something else exciting with which to play).  We sing a song from music class when putting away something:

 Bye bye toys

Bye bye toys

Clean up

Clean up

Put them all awaaaaayyyy...

This morning you took the salad spinner out of the cabinet.  I should point out that our cabinets aren't the kind that you can child-proof lock, they don't have any handles.  You sat down to play with it in the kitchen, so I took the few seconds to finish doing my make-up in the bathroom.  I hear, "bah-bah, baaah-baaahhh..." and I come around the corner to see you trying to maneuver the salad spinner back into the cabinet that you took it out of!  What a genius!

3 - You can't get enough of things with buttons.  Daddy will come home and find the cable box on and the tv remote on the kitchen floor.  Whoops!  The cordless phone (who still has a home phone nowadays?) is always lost, under a bookshelf somewhere.  I've taken to crawling around on my hands and knees to clean up after you've gone to bed.

4 - Daycare procedures are starting to become evident.  You squat when drinking or eating a snack - they always tell you to "sit!" at the table when eating. 

You also are listening to instructions!  This weekend, your Daddy and I looked at each other in surprise when I asked you to bring me the brush that was in your hands, and you did!

You are taking an active role in dressing.  This morning, when you saw I had your shorts in my hands, you stood up on the changing table (with my help of course), grabbed both of my shoulders and lifted up your knee to put on your pants.  Such a helper!

5 -  Daycare has been so accommodating with your food allergies.  What choice do they have, I know, but here's a story that I thought was amazing.  All the rest of the kids eat from the cafeteria because Tutor Time takes care of breakfast, lunch and snacks.  Parents don't really pack anything, but I always have to pack you a giant cooler of food because you eat so much!  It always includes leftovers from the previous night's dinner and can get pretty boring really quickly.  Ms. Edlira noticed that you were starting to feel a little left out when everyone was eating the same thing for lunch, so she called and asked if I could start making something similar for poor little you.  She sent me the this week's menu.  Isn't that awesome?  My spirits actually lifted - I felt it.  It made me so happy to know that your feelings were being taken into account.  Food for me has always been an experience, rather than just energy-driven, and I hope that it can be the same for you, despite all your allergies.  This week, the menu was: Monday - plain pasta and chicken nuggets, Tuesday - grilled cheese, Wednesday - spaghetti and meatballs, Thursday - macaroni and Friday - pizza. 

It was so nice to not have to scrape around the fridge for the next day's meals.  Now all I have to be wary of is when you pick up the fact that their afternoon snack is cookies and yours is fruit.  Only a matter of time before you sniff that out.

6 - I spoke with Ms. Edlira this morning about your development.  You were sitting calm as can be on your little chair at the table, eating your waffle.  She said that you love going outside to play and cry when you have to come back in.  You are doing *better* eating with a spoon, though you do still cry to be fed first.  She used to have to chase you around to sit down for circle and story time, but now you come and sit without being asked.  She's also trying to rid you of your thumb sucking habit, so every time you put your hand in your mouth, she says, "No fingers!" and gently takes your hand out of your mouth.  You always give her a mean look and then go about your activity.  Daddy and I will start being more attentive to your thumb sucking.  I've been starting to freak out about future orthodontal bills, anyway.  While I'm sure you'd look adorable with buck teeth, with your allergies it'll only add to your possible "nerd" characterization.

7 - The only dark cloud that lingers right now is your biting.  While they assure me that it's not that big of a deal - it's when you turn 2 when it gets to be a problem - you have bitten three children in daycare.  If I were a parent of a child that was bitten, I'd be PISSED.  We're working with you at home: we try to catch you before you bite, we tell you "No biting.  Biting hurts."  We distract you, we squeeze your lips together, we stare you down afterwards, but nothing seems to be helping.  You do realize you've done something wrong, however.  Yesterday, when I picked you up, Ms. Tamara told me that she had witnessed a bite that day and when she stared you down afterwards you burst into tears.  I went into the room, looked at you and said, "I heard that you bit someone today."  Your little lip jutted out and you started bawling.  So you know you've done something wrong.  We just can't get you to connect actions to consequences. 

The other day, they called me because you bit yourself.  I asked if you were on a path to becoming a pyschopath.  They told me that it was normal.  It's got to be teething and you'll get better, I'm sure.  That's what I tell myself when I'm anxiously researching oral fixations and praying that you won't start smoking at age 6.

I don't mean to end on that note, though, because you are amazing.  Every day it's more and more a blessing to be able to come home to you.  We love you very much, Ollie-gator!