Baby Milestone -Ten Months

Hello Everyone! Oliver just had his 10 months old check up this morning. He did extremely well. Starting with laying and sitting still for the nurse to take his measurements. He now weighs 20 lbs 12 oz., 29.8 inches tall. His head circumference is 45 cm.

He still has a little cold and cough, but it's all in his nasal passage and not in the lungs. He has 2 new teeth on top, and 2 more about to pop out on the bottom.

Other big developments are:

1. He understands the words "where is" "ball" "toothbrush", there would be toys all over the floor, but when I ask for the ball, he crawls over and touches it. He also love to open and close doors. And he understands that in English and Chinese!

2. He can walk with little support, some times only being held by one hand.

3. He likes to pick up food and feed himself. Chicken and avocado still is his favorite. He also enjoys pinto beans and broccoli.

4. He loves to play the drum or anything he can hit like a drum. We learned from a visit to a musician friend's house that Oliver is also excellent with the tamboreen with good form, and made a few sounds on the harmonica!

5.He loves to play hide and seek. He starts the game by going behind a wall or the couch, waits for you to look, than peek his head around with a big smile. He also hides behind you if you are sitting on the floor. He may even give you a back massage.

6.He likes to play chase and have you crawl behind him.

7.He also figures out how to turn the walker so he can keep moving! So he is all over the house with the walker. Nothing can stop him now.

8. He can say baba dada mama and blow air out to make his lips vibrate. He often sings little tunes, and I like to sing along with him.

9. He will dance to any music and clap.

10. He like to wave, often with both hands at the same time. Or I suspect he is being sarcastic and making air quotes.

The doctor said he is thriving and showing developmental skills months beyond his age. So as if you don't already know, we think he is perfect!

Baby Milestone -Nine Months

Doesn't he look like a big kid? At 9 months, Oliver has truly become a very interesting little person. His personality is starting to show through. And he is laughing and smiling more than ever. Most of the week he spends part of his day at the park nearby with other kids. There are quite a few baby girls who just want to hug and kiss him. He also enjoys bonding with the boys and does his signature pointing gesture when he sees them. It really helps that he is crawling like a pro and doing more walking with the walker. He has also figured out how to stand on his tippy toes, which makes reaching for things much easier for him, but more work for mommy to baby proof the house. He has also mastered playing peek-a-boo by lifting up a blanket to cover himself, or hide behind the wall or couch and wait for us to find him. He also loves to play chase and crawl after him. With every game he always cracks up laughing so hard his eyes get so squinty. I love his giggly laughs!

Oliver got to spend a little bit of time at the Santa Monica beach one afternoon. It was a very hot day and I had an optometrist appointment on the west side. It just made sense to bring him and the nanny along to get some ocean breeze. It was so spontaneous, but a wonderful time. Oliver loved to play in the sand and feel the cold water splashing on him. He didn't even care he was soaking wet and covered in sand. Needless to say he had a great nap on the way home.

Oliver continues to enjoy trying new food. We went to a taco party at my old boss's house. Mmmm....they were the best tacos made fresh with all the toppings. Oliver liked them too. He got to have some chicken, pork and little pieces of tortilla. He even got to put on a bib that says "I LOVE TACOS!"

Another exciting thing is that now he can sit in a shopping cart! So I took him to Target one afternoon. We started out going very slow, once he got the hang of it, he knew where to hang on. He really enjoyed the view from the cart, and everyone got to see his curious little face. He did really well, and we picked up a pair of swimming shorts for him that day.

The weather is warming up, I'm sure we'll be having more outdoor fun in the coming months.

Baby Milestone -Eight Months

Growing and growing. Ollie now weighs 19.9 lbs and has grown an inch up to 29 inches long. His head also grew a centimeter, Probably because we always tell him how cute he is. He is crawling all over the house and pulling up to standing. He can let go and stand for a few seconds unsupported. So we are thinking he will be walking soon! He has two more teeth coming out.

The doctor gave us the ok to start giving him finger foods. So I chopped up some chicken and avocado and waited to see his response. We've got a great video of it, he was curious and seemed interested in the texture of it. It took a few days before he started to get the hang of having solid food in his mouth. Some of his other favorites are salmon with spinach and rice, and scrambled eggs or cottage cheese for breakfast.

On March 14th, we took a trip to San Diego to visit grandma. We took Oliver to the zoo. This is our first trip with him as a crawler. We found a hotel that has a kid's room attached so Oliver can go to sleep early in his own room. It was nice to have the room divided, but we still had to be creative and hang sheets to block out the light coming from our side of the room. Mommy figured out a way to use the sink as a food station, even used the bottle warmer as a sterilizer for the washed bottles. Oliver had a great time checking out all the animals at the zoo, but I think the real fun for him was crawling around in his room like a new playground.

A new game I came up with this month was blanket surfing. After 8 months being in the same living room, it was time to invent some new ways to play. Oliver loves to be on the move, so being pulled around a blanket was great fun for him. We also lined up the dinning room chairs to make a tunnel to crawl through. He didn't know mommy can be so silly sometimes.