SO LONG BOTTLES....

Our baby bottle collection....4 and 10 oz models

We are officially a baby bottle free house! 

Oliver drank his last bottle yesterday and today I tossed them in the recycling bin! It was kind of a bittersweet moment but has opened up two more shelves in our pantry for other stuff! 

Over the past few weeks Oliver has mastered the art of drinking from a sippy cup so I pounced on this new found skill and decided it was time to say so long bottles before he actually figured out just how much he liked drinking from them! 

It has also freed up some of my time because he really likes holding his cup and feeding himself. I know I'll miss our bottle moments at times but it is a nice feeling to see how proud he is when he's holding his cup and feeding himself! 

A WHOLE NEW VANTAGE POINT....

Oliver has officially joined the land of the upright people! After weeks of watching him explore his world propped up on his knees he finally figured out how to pull himself up to his feet tonight. I had just turned on the tub and went to get something from the sink when I looked back he was holding himself up on the side of the tub in a standing position. It was such a great surprise especially because I got to see it first hand! 

Now that I've returned to work (started back on Monday) my biggest fear is that I'm going to miss out on the kids milestones when I'm gone during the day. Fortunately Oliver held this one in until I was home to share it with him! Yay Oliver!

As exciting as this milestone was....it quickly turned to an annoying one after we put him to bed and he decided to try his new found skill in his crib. Normally this would be fine except for the fact that when he pulled himself up he couldn't figure out how to get back down so we had to keep going in to lay him back down. This went on for 45 minutes. Hopefully he'll figure out the getting down part soon or else bed and nap time will become quite a chore!

On another note I took Oliver to the doctor for his 10 month check up today. He now weighs 22 lbs 7 oz and is 30". Quite the stats given he was 21" and 7 lbs 2 oz 10 short months ago! 

HAPPY TEN MONTH “BIRTHDAY”…OLIVER

This month marks two milestones in Oliver’s life, not only does he turn 10 months but it also signals the end of my maternity leave (I return to work on Aug 12). It has been an incredible leave and I will cherish every moment I’ve spent with all of the kids, especially since I will never be on another maternity leave again (sniff)!

It was such an added bonus to share this time with Charlotte and Jacob and have the opportunity to watch them grow into the amazing little people they are – I really hadn’t factored this into the equation when I started my leave in October but it has been such a special time with them too!

This past month we have seen huge changes in Oliver. From July 9 to August 9 he has:

• Grown and gained weight: We have his 10 month appointment with Dr. Greenburg on Aug 15 where we will get his official stats but I guarantee he has grown and gained weight since our last visit two months ago
• Celebrated “Grammy’s” birthday: Oliver helped Grammy celebrate her 67^th birthday on July 10
• Cut more teeth: He now has three teeth on the top to accompany the two teeth he had on the bottom last month
• Expanded his vocabulary: Oliver continues to expand the sounds he makes. This month I have noticed him saying “na na , lots of “da da”, “uh oh” and “ba ba ba”. I’m still waiting for “ma ma ma”!
• Started crawling faster and farther: We no longer have stationary kids in our house…Oliver loves to crawl and has become quite fast! He is a man on a mission when you put him down on the floor now!
• Started to express frustration when he wants something and we either take it away or don’t know what he’s referring to: Oliver’s “attitude” has grown more fierce this month especially when we take something away from him that he wants or we can’t figure out what he wants! He is much more vocal and loves to arch his back or bang his head forward to express his frustration. Having said this though he does continue to have a laid back disposition much of the time.  
• Continued to enjoy eating solid foods: There is no food that Oliver won’t eat – he eats everything that we serve him and is no longer interested in anything pureed unless it is yogurt or apple sauce! It certainly makes meal times very easy.
• Increased his ability to pull up on things: Although he continues to love to pull himself up on the bars of his crib he has expanded his “pulling up ability” to anything he can get his hands on. Although he hasn’t pulled himself any higher than his knees just yet it’s only a matter of time before he figures it out….gulp!
• Continued to sleep through the night: Oliver is by far our best sleeper. He enjoys his two naps a day and his bedtime. Oliver continues to go to sleep shortly after 6 p.m. and will wake around 6 a.m. the next day.
• Survived his first family summer vacation: Oliver spent a very fun-filled two weeks at Sandy Lake in Buckhorn and a few days on Lake Muskoka in Torrence
• Continued to increase his sippy cup abilities: Oliver still favours his bottles over the cup but he continues to take the cup when we offer it to him
• Activities outside the house: Cottage time (Sandy Lake and Huyer’s Cottage), Walks in the neighbourhood, Yard and porch time, Swimming at the Nordahl / Sacco’s pool,attended his first birthday party (Myra’s 4^th birthday)

Oliver waiting for the train at the Peterborough Zoo
(a week shy of 10 months)

COTTAGE LIVING....

For the past two weeks we have been fortunate enough to spend some quality family time at my Dad and Sandy's cottage on Sandy Lake in Buckhorn, just north of Peterborough. 

It is a great place that has become a summer vacation tradition for us. This is Charlotte and Jacob's third summer at the cottage but the first time they've really been able to enjoy all the things it has to offer. It has been a busy few weeks since we arrived and although the weather has been a bit on the chilly side we have still managed to pack our days with swims and water fights in the lake, visits to the Peterborough Zoo, plays at the park, lunch "under the tent" on the patio at the Cody Inn and a visit to Lock 31 in Buckhorn to watch the boats go through. 

We even snuck away from the cottage over the August long weekend to visit Paul and Judy's place on Lake Muskoka in Torrence for the 6th annual Muskoka Rocks Huyer, Brown and Cobain weekend! 

As with all good things our time away at the cottage is coming to an end but not before we enjoy one more fun-filled day in the sun. We are heading back to the city for the weekend in anticipation of my return to work from maternity leave on Monday. It is amazing to think how fast these past two weeks have gone, but even more surreal to think how fast the past 10 months of maternity leave have gone!

View of Sandy Lake from the dock

Grams and Oliver sharing a moment on the dock

One of Oliver's fav spots was the hammock

Row Row Row your boat....Grandpa with Jacob and Charlotte

Charlotte filling her water blaster

Jacob filling his water blaster

Family fun on the lake

Oliver loved swimming in the lake

A visit with the Reindeer at the Peterborough Zoo

Family fun at the Peterborough Zoo

Charlotte hanging at the park

Jacob riding a pig at the park

Jacob's first tube ride at Paul and Judy's

Boat ride with Paul and Judy

Jacob and Judy embrace Lake Muskoka

Pre-bed snuggles at Paul and Judy's (Magnus, Jacob and Charlotte)

Visiting Lock 31 in Buckhorn

One....two....three...jump!

Lake fun

CRAWLING...TESTING, TESTING...ONE...TWO...THREE...

Oliver is becoming more mobile everyday and beginning to test his limits more and more. I captured this video recently of him trying out his crawling skills! He is a little wobbly but is becoming stronger each day - he's even starting to pull himself up on things. 

So long to "staying in one place"....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM / GRAMMY...

Today we celebrated my mom's birthday. The kids were very excited to help me wrap her presents and of course eat the birthday cake we bought her! 

Thanks for being such a great mom / Grammy...we feel very fortunate to have you in our lives!

All smiles for Grammy's birthday

Grammy and her grandchildren - Charlotte, Oliver and Jacob

Charlotte and Jacob very excited to help open presents

Hurry up and blow out those candles....we want cake! 

HAPPY NINE MONTH "BIRTHDAY"...OLIVER

We have now had Oliver in our lives for as long as I carried him in my tummy and what an amazing nine months it has been! He fits in so well with our family that I honestly can't imagine life without him. 

Charlotte is especially drawn to him and loves to help in any way she can. She always asks whether he can have a piece of something she's eating or see a toy she is playing with and she continues to want to know where he is when he's not around. She has also been concerned lately with where Oliver will sit in Grammy's car since she only has two car seats! "No room for Opiter" or "Where Opiter sit" is what you'll hear her say from the back seat when she travels in Grammy's car! It's really quite sweet the bond she has developed with him. 

Jacob loves to come and get Oliver with me in the morning - he climbs into his crib to give him a hug before I take him out to change and feed him! He also likes to shake his bottle after I put the formula in the water and hand it to me to give to Oliver. Like Charlotte, Jacob is also interested in knowing where Oliver is when he's not around. Although Jacob still has his moments with Oliver (the odd scratch here or push there) he is a great big brother. 

I am feeling bittersweet about yet another month flying by in our house. As much as I've loved seeing all the new things Oliver has accomplished I still wish I could find that magical pause button to freeze time so he'd stay small for a while longer.

This past month Oliver has:

• Grown and gained weight: Although we won't have an official "doctor" weigh-in and measurement this month (no well visit with Dr. G) our home scale says Oliver is 22 lbs and the measuring tape has him at 29 inches
• Sprouted a second tooth: Not long after tooth number one made an appearance number two sprouted beside it on the bottom. They are coming in quite nicely although I'm still enjoying Oliver's mainly toothless grin! 
• Started to pull himself up on things: Yesterday (July 8) I walked into Oliver's room after his PM nap and found him on his knees with his head / chin far above the crib bar. Thankfully I came in before his top heavy head propelled his body over the rail and onto the floor. Because of his new found daredevil tactics Oliver's mattress was lowered as soon as Doyle got home from work!
• Developed a bit of attitude: When Oliver wants something or doesn't want something he makes it known by flailing his body (if seated or lying on the floor) or banging his head (if seated in his high chair). This is more of a Charlotte trait than a Jacob trait...I'm not sure I'm ready for two Charlotte's in the house ;) 
• Become more mobile: Although Oliver has not officially started crawling he has no problem getting himself around. A shimmy of the bum here and a roll there and he is where he wants to be! He can go from a seated position to his tummy and back up to a seated position without any issue. I continue to enjoy the fact he isn't officially crawling yet but know it's only a matter of time before our lives get a little more hectic! 
• Increased his vocal sounds: Oliver has added a few new sounds to his vocabulary including "a da", "gah" and "ca". I'm still anxiously waiting for "ma ma"...
• Started waving: "Oliver waving" or "Oliver bye-bye" are the cues for him to wave. He always seems quite proud of himself when he waves his arm to say hello or good-bye to people
• Enjoyed his first swim in a lake: This past weekend we spent time at our friends Paul and Judy's cottage on Lake Muskoka. While there we introduced O to the lake and although he was a bit scared at first he quickly warmed up to it and loved splashy around
• Become better at eating solids: Oliver continues to enjoy his meals and has gotten better at eating larger pieces of food that we give him - his favourites from this month have been grapes, raisins, blueberries, pizza, chicken and pork
• Said so long to his dream feed: We no longer feed Oliver before we go to sleep. His last bottle is at 6:30 p.m. before he goes down for the night.
• Continued to sleep through the night: Oliver loves his sleep especially from 6:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
• Continued drinking from his sippy cup: Although Oliver still prefers a bottle over a cup he is taking more milk from it when I give it to him. This skill will be something we practice more of over the coming month. 
• Celebrated his first Canada Day: We enjoyed a low key Canada Day long weekend at home complete with lots of backyard time and walks around the neighbourhood! 
• Activities outside the house: Trip to Centre Island / Centreville, Huyer / Joe's Team cottage weekend, walks in the neighbourhood, Yard / porch time, Swimming at the Spence's Pool and Nordahl / Sacco pool