Oliver is One!

Oliver turned one at the beginning of this month, so it's time to catch up! It has been the best year with our sweetest boy. We are grateful for this little boy, and that he's a part of our family. We love him to the moon and back.

At one year old Oliver:
-Weighs 22 lbs 10 oz and is 30 inches tall. He is just around the 50th percentile for his weight, height, and head. Our perfectly average boy.

-Walks! He really walks. I feel like it happened pretty quickly. I guess he decided he wanted to and hasn't stopped since. I love his little walk! It definitely makes him seem like a little boy now. I think he loves the new found freedom of walking and loves to explore more than ever.

-Eats. He really has started eating quite a bit at mealtimes with a couple of snacks during the day. He loves rice and beans. Fruit is his favorite thing. But he's pretty great at eating whatever I give him. I'm grateful he's a good eater and hope that sticks :). He's also started drinking whole milk and likes it quite a bit. We've started working on weaning a little bit, but in all honesty he's still a fan of nursing.

-Has so much personality. We love "talking" with him. He pulls the funniest faces and just does funny things. Every day I just sigh and laugh at my silly boy. I love him!

-Likes to be outside. We love the beach, and Oliver even enjoys walking in the freezing water. We also love walking to the little park by our house or playing at another park in town. He likes to go down slides. He likes to pick up bark and especially likes to poke his finger into holes or screw or whatever he can find. He also loves rocks! He likes to pick them up and carry them around.

-"Talks" a lot, but really hasn't said any real words yet. We're working on it.

-Loves to wave goodbye or adios to people.

-Loves dogs. I think he tries to say woof with me, but it mostly comes out as blowing. He's mastered blowing on his food when it's hot (or when it's not too).

-Is such a good helper. He loves holding the broom, mop, or any tool. He likes to take rags from the drawer and wipe stuff. He likes to hammer with papa and paint with me. It's good to have such fine help around the house.

-Likes to read with mama. We love our animal books especially right now as we point to the different animals and name them.

-Throws a ball pretty well. He also is good at throwing other objects.

-Is the best one year old around!

I'm so grateful for the joy and the things I've learned this past year being a mom to Oliver. It's challenging at times, and I'm always needing more patience. I know I can do better at so many things. But I am also so happy this is my job and that I get to spend almost every moment with this sweet baby. I love seeing him learn and grow and helping him explore the world around him.

Happy Birthday my little Oliver!

His actual birthday was pretty low-key but fun. We had his party on Saturday. But on Thursday, we started with a fabulous breakfast of watermelon and M and M pancakes in adorable dinosaur pjs.

We went to the park and played. It was a beautiful day of sunshine. And finished with the opening of one gift from us: some stacking cups. He is a fan.

On Friday, we went to the doctor's for his 1 year checkup. He is a healthy boy and is doing great. He really loved the tongue depressors. It was a little rough with five shots, but then he got a Dum Dum and life was good.

Party to come...