Oliver quirks

Here are a few weird/funny/cool things Oliver does:

Oliver screams and cries whenever Reba or I leave, even though the other stays behind. And sometimes when I leave and he doesn't see me leave but figures it out, he'll walk around the apartment from room to room, even looking in every closet and bathroom, all the while sobbing, then finally admitting defeat and throwing his crying self into Reba's arms to be held.

Whenever I have soda pop he wants some. And even though his face gets red and eyes water because of the spicy carbonation, after he recovers he wants more.

Oliver has a bit of a temper (we're working on this) and says "no" to us and others quite a bit, sometimes for no reason other than to exert his authority. But when he's really mad and screaming the no turns into "doe!"

Last week, while we babysat for some friends for a few days he started yelling no at other kids when they cried. I didn't know this, so I was confused today in sacrament mtng. when he kept shouting "no" at apparently nothing and no one, but Reba filled me in that he was communicating with the faraway fussing kids and babies.

He loves having his teeth brushed. When he sees me put the little rubber brush over my finger he opens his mouth wide and likes to steal a few nibbles, mid-process, for that rubbery texture.

He screams in anger whenever I hug anyone (including Reba). We noticed this a few months ago and couldn't tell if he was jealous of me, reba, both, or like any normal kid, is just grossed out by gratuitous parental affection. So we conducted a controlled test. We had Rebecca hug her nephew London and Ollie looked on with nothing but happiness for the two. Then I hugged London and he lost it.

He loves to be up high (couch, counter, bed, person, whatever).

He has an amazing dog sensor. We'll be out on a nature walk and he'll start doing his bark (which he does for any animal or insect) and I think he's bluffing, but without fail, after some long inspection I'll find some far off dog barely visible through the sagebrush. His candy sensor is also without equal.

He LOVES being outside. So much so that if we open the door to our 3x10 ft second story concrete patio (that actually only has about 2x5 ft of space due to bbq and other stuff), with a wall blocking his view to anything, he'll hang out there as long as we let him, even in 30 degree weather.

That's another thing, I've never seen him bothered by the cold. Never. Gonna be a great river swimmer.

The other day I was working at the computer and it kept making the sound it makes when you plug a device into one of the jump drive portals. I couldn't figure it out until I looked down and saw that Oliver was sucking on the other end of the plugged in ipod cord.

One of my favorite times with Ollie is in the morning when he wakes up and hangs out on my bed with me. He's so happy and loves to wrestle and be thrown around.

My other favorite time is at night near his bedtime when becomes so calm and cuddly.

Albuquerque Home and Lifestyle Show 2008

The Albuquerque Home and Lifestyle Show has come and gone. Christian had to really hustle in the few days leading up to the show to get his logo designed, banner constructed, and business cards made. But, all in all, it turned out REALLY well and there was tons of interest. I was so impressed with Christian's confidence and knowledge as people stopped by and asked questions. He was so personable and professional- people stuck around the booth for a while, just talking to him. We're really excited about the next few months and the business this little shindig is going to bring us!!!
Oliver was our secret weapon at the show. People and dogs alike stopped to play with the little guy. We almost decided to rent him out to the other booths- $30/hour!

These Boots Were Made For Walking...

So that's just what I'll do... You got it! Oliver has finally arrived- he's walking! As of about 1 1/2 weeks ago, Oliver is officially a walker. And, after 17 1/2 months, this is definitely a much anticipated achievement. He's almost over the Frankenstein-imitating phase into full-fledged bent-knees, one foot in front of the other stance. One this particular day, he discovered that he could build things with his legos. So, he unloaded them out of his pickup truck, one by one and then stacked them up on his stool. He soon discovered, however, that he could just as easily destroy things (and this might be the more fun of the two), and so I had legos all over the kitchen floor (not pictured:)).



This next one is purely for fun. Oliver likes to upset his mommy by putting his lunch-food hands all through his hair. Daddy was on baby patrol this day, so it got particularly out of hand, as you can see from his rat's nest: