Oden Adventures

The past few weeks have brought a lot of cuteness chez Oliver.  I just can't get enough of his smile & laugh and his silly little half baby/half boy antics; he really brightens every day.  Although we're still wincing our way through a tantrum or two a day, there's just a lot of snuggles and kisses and funny dance moves and silly walks and playground bravery and putting odd things on his head and trying on too-big shoes.  Most conversation centers these days on doors, doggies, birdies, clocks, "maw-mow" (lawn mowers), and "tao-wull" (towels).  He also spends a lot of time going about the house identifying what belongs to whom, and sitting with pictures books and pointing to objects he recognizes.

The last week especially he seems to have jumped up another level in his desire to communicate things with words.  He's putting a lot more effort into being understood and getting his point across which is adorable and sometimes a little frustrating (sometimes I just don't know what he means!).  He does really well copying sounds/words, too, but that doesn't always mean they're an active part of his vocabulary yet.  We've been playing this funny little game a lot where we say a multi-syllabic sound like "lola" or "fofo" or something and he copies each one.  He does really well and thinks it's hilarious.

His 21st-month photo shoot wasn't our most successful, and was crammed into a small slot of the day amidst preparing for a dinner party, but Oliver still shines through as only he can...

"Do we really have to do this?"

How he rolls.

"I'm going to look super cute while standing on a pile of stuff!"