this boy

this boy has changed so much in the past couple of months. he really is much more a little boy than he is a baby. i love it and it breaks my heart at the same time, but i do think watching him learn and grow and become his own little self takes away most of the sadness involved.

he is becoming so much more social. for so long, he would stick by my side at playgroups, not wanting to play with the other kids. now he can hardly wait to take his shoes off and get going! he knows many of his friends by name and if i telling him we're going to see them, he says, "fwend! fun!" he loves all his friends and loves to play and interact.

being a late walker, ollie was also behind with the climbing stage, but has recently started up. a couple weeks ago, i moved a chair to the kitchen sink, put him on it and turned the water on. i gave him measuring cups and bowls and pots and he played for and hour and a half! now he moves the kitchen chair by himself, climbs up and says, "wata? wata? pease", while doing the sign for please. he also puts a chair up to the counter and watches me make dinner, doing whatever i will let him. he is a climber and a doer; he loves to be involved in everything i am doing. 

his language skills are exploding. almost every day he says a word that i had no idea he knows! honey, hungry, dog, car, truck, van, tractor, water, milk, bread, play, fun, friends, watch (as in, "watch this!" where did he learn that?), puzzle, book, shark, horse, draw, paper, plane, 'copter, bun, cinna (he sees a lot of cinnamon buns pass through our apartment) shoes, jacket, jeans...the list goes on. it is so fun to watch his little world expand as he learns more about his surroundings. he's always been pretty keen and alert, and only seems to be more so as he grows. he loves to learn. 

his newfound love of babies is adorable. just three or four months ago, he would try to push any babies out of my arms if i held them. now, he talks about the baby and pats my growing belly. whenever i hold a baby, he wants to "hold" that baby and screams if anyone tries to hold it. it's pretty cute, but i'm also wondering what my life might be like in 5 months...nursing a newborn with a two year old sitting in my lap, "holding" the baby, probably. ha ha! fun. he says, "bay-bee! bay-bee!" and wants to see/touch hands, feet, face, etc, of all babies.

this boy is growing and changing and brings a smile to my face and makes me a little crazy everyday. he is definitely becoming a toddler and i am learning how to parent him differently. it's been a challenge, but i'm so glad for his happy little personality. most of our days are filled with "fun!" and "fwend!"