Our Oliver

OK, it's high time our little Oliver gets an update here on the family blog. We have hit many milestones these past few months, and yet I haven't done a great job of noting those and celebrating the fact that Oliver is growing up so beautifully! So, without further ado... I give you Oliver Lawrence Roberts.

Far too often, this is what happens to poor little Oliver. We asked Anabelle to go stand BY Oliver in the exersaucer for a pic, and voila, no Oliver! Of course, she finds nothing wrong with this picture...

... but we are a little partial to this one =)

I love sleeping babies. Not just because of the obvious fact that a sleeping baby means I get a rest too, but they just glow while they sleep. Their skin is simply perfect and they just radiate innocence. I often find it hard to pull myself away from the side of his crib to go do something as meaningless as dishes! =)

We love getting time with Gigi and GGpa... Gigi always offers to be on "Oliver duty" the moment we bring him through her door.

Oliver is always ready for his close up -- the kid will smile on command. He seems a lot more 'smiley' than I remember Anabelle being. I often think how well he fits his name in the fact that he truly does radiate peace (Oliver means "The Olive Tree" which is a symbol of peace)

So, he figured out the roll about a week or two before he turned 6 months! His sis was rolling at 3 months, and I was not a fan of this, so I was uniquely grateful he took his sweet time to learn this skill! He now utilizes his rolling abilities often, though will roll while sleeping and sometimes wake himself up if he doesn't roll to his back quick enough.

Oliver really loves his Daddy. And his little 'pinched' ears have stayed pinched, so he & Daddy have that similar feature, which is fun. Anabelle had them too when she was born, but outgrew them by Oliver's age. So, we'll see!

At around 5 months (I think!) he was gaining great head & neck control... He seems to do things more instantly than his sis who did more earlier, but more gradually. It seems like one day he can't do something, then the next day he's great at it.

Their favorite time of the night is bath time. If I don't put Oliver in the bath with her, Anabelle continues to say, "Oliver?" Then points next to her and demands, "Oliver there!" He's great about sitting up and I'm trusting him more in the bath with her - he busies himself with the toy boat & the rubber duck, and she bathes him and pours 'tea' for everyone.

This past month, he's figured out the jumping aspect of the johnny jump-up. Even when he just lounged in it, he has LOVED this toy and it's been a lifesaver for me as I just swap him from doorframe to doorframe. Now that he jumps though, he tends to get a little tired of it more quickly. But he sure is cute as he bounces around!

Like I said, this kid is all smiles! He is very relational and, like many babies, thrives on any and all attention!

And on Feb. 15th, I introduced solids to him in the form of banana. Adam's big on the first "meal" being something natural, not processed, and yummy... a "welcome to the food club" sort of thing I guess =) Oliver liked the spoon more than the food... and he got so messy, I decided I wasn't up to starting food yet and have only given him a few 'meals' since then! Naturally, with Anabelle I was making & storing all my own baby food, all organic, and introducing it fairly evenly spaced, etc. I have a feeling Oliver will be eating a little more 'on the fly' than she did! =) He's doing so well nursing, I figure we'll just continue with that until he gets too hungry. Anabelle nursed solely until 8 months, so I'm thinking that's where we are headed with Oliver...

The sunshine means we get to sport our fun hats -- just like Daddy's!

I cannot get over baby cheeks. Love that his cheek extends past his profile, ha! I could just snuggle this little guy's cheeks 24/7

Bright-eyed babe!

A serious and seldom seen side of Oliver

His latest thing is sticking his tongue out like this... somehow he gets it really thin and just sticks it out for fun

Anabelle is always aware of Oliver and ready to give him a toy or help him with his passie. She's also ready to slug him if needed! He is SO entertained by her -- she makes my 'job' much easier just by being around. He'll light up just watching her, and if she giggles or tries to make him giggle, he always will. I actually caught her standing on his tummy yesterday (eek!) and they both were just giggling hysterically. Cute, but not okay! He lets her get away with a lot. Of course, I'm on top of it and once she senses a rebuke coming from me, she'll quickly & confidently say, "Sister Brother Oliver!!" (which comes from countless lessons of me saying, "Anabelle, you are Oliver's sister. You need to be gentle and take care of your brother.") Oh these kids =)

Another biggie, a TOOTH! Oliver sprouted this little guy about 2 weeks ago and it's been growing in nicely. Kinda funny that this front/bottom tooth was the first to come in as those teeth are the ones we were worried Anabelle didn't have b/c they took abnormally long to pop out. Another little sign that these two are their own individuals!

Though they may not be the best at posing for the camera yet, they certainly are 2 of the best kiddos created... but then again, I *may* be a bit partial =)