It's official, Oliver is walking!

After a week of testing out the water, Oliver started walking a few feet at a time yesterday June 20th (11 months and 4 days old). Up to that point we would only catch glimpses of it out of the corner of our eyes. We were convinced he was secretly walking, and only crawls to keep us from not picking him up.

This morning during our usual routine of me making breakfast in the kitchen and Oliver watching his sign language video (By the way, he can sign milk, eat, all done, and his new favorite animal-dog) I watched from the kitchen as he walked around the living room holding a balloon. It was the cutest things I've ever seen.

I've also noticed today that he didn't want to be picked up as much. Oh...how quickly things change.

Happy Birth+Mother's Day to Me!

This year my birthday fell on the same day as Mother's day. Since I've been taking the cake decorating class, I thought it was a good chance to show off my skills to the family. I even decided to make all the food. Here's our Sunday Brunch menu:

Soy Chorizo Burrito with Cheese and Refried Beans, topped with Enchilada sauce
Egg White and Turkey Sausage Frittatas with Parsley
Fresh Baked (Pillsbury) Croissants brushed with butter and topped with Parmesan cheese.
Fresh cut fruits
And Natural Italian Soda from Whole Foods in Pink Grapefruit, Blood Orange, and Tangerine

The larger cake is a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, both from a sugar free cake and frosting mix.

The cupcakes are angel food cake. the recipe has been altered with egg whites and apple sauce so it's lower in fat.

We all had a wonderful time, and everyone loved the food and the decor. Needless to say it was truly a happy day!

Baby Milestone - Eleven Months

So much has happened in this past month. Oliver took his first swim lesson with his dad on June 7th. He did so great! (and Daddy did good too.) He went completely in the water and floated on his back, even crawled across a floating bridge. He seemed nervous and held on to Daddy very tight, but never cried. This week he'll be back again, I hope he is looking forward to it.

Oliver also took his first few steps on June 12th. They were tiny little steps, but he look so cute doing it. It's funny that he only does it when no one is watching. I think when he sees us, he knows we'll pick him up. So he goes back to crawling, which gets him around the house very fast.

We've started showing him a dvd for sign language. Each morning he watches the show while having some Special K corn flakes. He also needs his favorite drums nearby, so he can play the drum while the songs are playing on TV. And just over a week, he started to sign Milk, and lately he does the "all done" sign when he is full after a meal. He also signs dog, which comes in handy because he's been very friendly with the neighborhood dogs.

Our little boy not only loves to play the drums, he also loves to sing. When we go for our morning walks, sometimes he'll sing in his stroller while checking out the scenery. We also sing together in the bath, and pretty much any time he is in a good mood. Although he mostly says BaBaBa, he has discovered he can change his pitch. He can hit quite a few high notes.

It's amazing that he is truly a little person now with his own thoughts and ideas. He loves to point to things that he doesn't know the name for. Or he points to the places he wants to go. He can communicate so well. He also has started to share with food and put away his toys.

I can't wait to see what he does next! running? talking? oh my...

What has Ann been up to, that's not baby related.

So somehow this blog has become an update on what Oliver has been up to. Hey! get your own blog Oliver! (Just kidding, mommy loves you) I thought before I enter another milestone update. I should write down my latest projects.

During the first few months of Oliver's arrival. I had a really hard time adjusting to my new life. Postpartum depression hit me pretty hard, and I had trouble coping with being a stay at home mom. All that seem like so long ago, and I've since recovered and feeling 95% like my old self. The other 5% is my never ending nursing and pumping schedule that keeps me close to home. And the other is waking up at 5:30 am each morning and taking a 2 mile walk with Chris and Oliver.

The hard days have inspired me to write a guide book with tips to help new moms. I had one draft that was put to use when our friends Corri and Kristin were about to have their baby. Brielle was born the next day after an "in-home consultation". She must think her mom is a fast learner. I tried out the book on another new mom who also has a little Oliver. Both times I felt great helping someone going through a tough transition in their life. I was surprised that I have somehow made myself an expert at this subject. On and off I found time to rework the book and redesign it. It's been on hold for a little bit because of other projects, but I will get back to it for sure. My plan is to find a publisher as soon as it's finished.



I've also started to take cake decorating classes. I've been watching all the cake decorating shows on Food Network thinking "I can do that!" I found a class at Michael's craft store, and I have completed course 1, 2, and now taking course 3 making tiered cakes. I was never a fan of eating frosting, but now I'm making frosting and baking cakes almost every week. I am enjoying it a lot. The ladies in my class are all very nice, and they like to sing along to the music inside the store while piping frosting to a cake! I will be using this new skill to make the most awesome birthday cakes for Oliver!

Here are some "practice" cakes I've done.







And my latest project is designing a logo for my sister who is trying to open her own nightclub/restaurant in Shanghai. She's been an amazing jazz musician for many years, and it's time she takes a big step. We emailed back and forth and came up with the name Shanghai La Vida. After a few rounds of designing and revision. I'm still working on putting together a presentation for her while she looks for investors. Fingers crossed she'll soon be a happy club owner. Here's the final logo:



And last, we've just started to look for our next house. It's something we've talked about, but it always feels like it's a long time away. Now that Oliver is almost one, we are starting to think about where to move to so he can get the best education. That will keep me busy for a while I'm sure. I can't even think about packing and moving right now.

Until next time...here's another baby milestone update.

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.