Kids: October 2007 Archives

October 22, 2007

We go out of town and he, like, evolves

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I don't know if somehow the sunshine in Florida is more potent than what we get here in Austin (it seems unpossible, but you never know), or if the sea air had some strange effect on his system (he does sleep better any day we go to the beach...), but Ollie moved another few notches up the baby development ladder last week.

First, he went from being intensely frustrated by being on his stomach, to crawling (army crawling, although he's also pushing up on hands/knees and hands/feet, so it won't be long now...). He's pretty fast when he wants to be; it's kind of amusing to see him charging across the floor like an inchworm on amphetamines.

Second, he's improved a lot on pulling himself up; he can get from sitting to standing by using the coffee table, which is a pretty good feat as he can't quite reach the top of the coffee table from sitting, he has to kind of get up on his knees first. He loves standing up, especially if there's a window he can look out of. He stood at the window of the airport for probably an hour, just watching trucks and people go by.

Third, not one but two new teeth popped out last week, one on the bottom and one on the top (making the score 3 and 1, which looks a little odd ;). He has another top tooth about to show as well.

Fourth, he's really getting good at feeding himself cheerios, small bits of bread, fruit, etc. He still gets a little overenthusiastic and chokes a bit now and again, but the difference from before is pretty stark.

There are lots of pictures and some video, but I have to dig out my digital photo studio software since my PC is packed up right now, and the video will have to wait until I get it unpacked. The house is virtually empty, but it's under contract and as long as we can find a new place soon enough we'll be able to unpack everything in a few weeks.

Other random notes: We flew first class on the first leg of our flight back from Tampa, because as we were leaving Tampa the first time our plane developed problems (the kind that lead to emergency vehicles following you down the runway "just in case") and we had to turn around. Our replacement flight went through Chicago and since it was full we ended up with a free upgrade to FC. Super-snotty flight attendant aside, it was really nice--free alcohol and a hot dinner go a long way to making air travel more bearable, and on our second leg (back in coach again) we had an empty seat between us that Ollie could sack out in. So although we got home eight hours later than planned, it actually didn't go all that badly, I guess.

October 12, 2007

Leaps and Bounds

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Ollie clapped for the first time this morning. I was changing his diaper (in this house, an activity always accompanied by a rendition of "Dry Butt Is Better Than Wet Butt") and he started clapping, slowly and very deliberately. I thought maybe it was just a coincidence, but then after his bath when I was wrapping him up in his towel he did it again--guess it was the real deal.

Unfortunately we have to get up at 5AM tomorrow and it's going to be a long one. And he's not sleeping well tonight. :(

October 8, 2007

Progress

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Ollie pulled himself up from sitting to standing without assistance for the first time this weekend. He did it on a cardboard box full of books first, and then yesterday he was playing with some toys in his crib while I folded his laundry. I turned around and he was standing up, holding the edge of his crib, and grinning at me. So we had to lower the mattress, so he can't hurl himself out of it just yet. :)

It's pretty cool to see him learning this stuff; I know he's behind pretty much all of his peers in mobility development (which is apparently fairly normal for smaller babies; Ollie has the additional disadvantage of a huge noggin, since his body weight is 5th percentile but his head is 50th...), but I think he's going to catch up pretty quick.

Part of it is that when Jen and/or I are watching him, he seems less inclined to really try stuff. Perhaps we're a little too eager to help him out, or he just expects us to help for some other reason; he seems to have a lot more "stick-to-it-iveness" when we're not looking. Which does make it hard to capture these moments on camera. ;)