Exploring his artistic side

Now that Oliver is 7 months old we thought it would be prudent to start exposing him to several new artistic avenues. After all, he's got a lot of work to do if he's going to be the first hall of fame Grammy award winning painter dancer.

We started Oliver's training on the grandest of all instruments...the piano. He was enthralled by the black and white keys and loved the sounds that came out of this wonderful instrument. I think we may have another Vladimir Horowitz on our hands.


After Oliver grew tired of the piano we moved on to some modern/abstract art painting. He started off in water colors but we think he will soon be using other mediums like acrylic and oil very soon.

His love for painting began at daycare where he experimented with some white paint on blue paper and then got a little more risky with purple and yellow paint on white paper. After recognizing a potential artistic gift we did what every supportive parent would do...we rushed out and got him his very own painting set. Oliver quickly took control of the situation and showed us what true genius is made of. Apparently masterful artwork can be created by directly applying the actual painting to ones mouth. I think Oliver may have found a new niche for the art world.



As if Oliver wasn't busy enough, he thought he would finish off the day by giving a shot at the bongos. The rhythm of the night was calling him and he answered...loudly. Baba Looooo!!!!


One would think that all this activity would be enough to keep this little boy happy....but no. He just had to try his hand at one more thing...modeling. Now, Jennifer and I don't believe in pushing ones kid into such a pressured and superficial industry but when your kid asks to try something you say yes!


Needless to say, after all these activities Oliver was a little pooped out. Honestly, there is nothing better than taking a nap with your little boy in the afternoon.

A Very Busy Two Weeks

Oliver has had a very adventurous two weeks. It all started with the celebration of Marina's birthday on April 3rd. He got all dressed up in his special cashmere outfit and surprised his Mama with a very special greeting.
After celebrating Marina's birthday we went to Jeff, Shawn and Zoe's house for an early Passover dinner on Sunday. Oliver learned a lot about his Jewish heritage and even partook in some of the Seder by donning a traditional yarmulka.

The next exciting thing Oliver did was sit in his highchair for the very first time to have his cereal. He loved being able to be at eye level and the Moms loved not having to stress their backs while feeding him.
Oliver, as many people know, has had a few minor baby illnesses since he's been born...acid reflux and chest congestion. Well, now we can add conjunctivitis...and...bronchitis to the list. It all started last Sunday when we noticed that Oliver's left eye had an unusual amount of yellow "gunk" in it, not to mention the whites of his eye were turning a funny pink color. This immediately caught our attention and we took him to the pediatrician the very next day. It was confirmed that he indeed had conjunctivitis a.k.a. pink eye. So, we proceeded to give him a topical eye treatment of Erythromycin for the next 5 days (he's almost done, yeah!). Not a big deal.

We thought we were in the clear with illnesses for a little while but to our surprise Oliver had a little more in store for us. All day Thursday he had been running a low grade fever and by Thursday night his temp skyrocketed to 103.7. So we took him straight to the Winchester Hospital ER just as a precaution....you don't want to mess with a high fever.

We spent about 3 hours there (pretty fast service for an ER if you ask me) and it was determined after a chest x-ray and some other tests that Oliver had bronchitis...nothing too severe but certainly in need of some antibiotics. We also learned that Oliver is truly the best patient ever. He didn't even really cry once (except when the x-ray tech picked him up with her ice cold hands) and even laughed a little during his x-ray. By 1:30 am we got the all clear and left the hospital with a bottle of Amoxicillin to administer 3 times a day. Woo Hoo!! But we shouldn't complain...it could have been a lot worse.

6 Month Stat Update

Oliver had is 6 month appointment today with the pediatrician and as usual he was a consummate patient. He sat quite happily while the doctor performed his exam and only cried when his shots were administered but quieted down quickly after they were over. We maintain that he may very well be the best baby we've ever had.

The official stats:
Height: 27 3/4" - 90th percentile (he's almost half Marina's height!)
Weight: 17 lbs 8 oz - 50th percentile
Head Circumference: 45.5cm - 90th percentile

Look Ma...I'm 6 Months Old!

Today is Oliver's 6 month birthday! Woo Hoo! We made it! Honestly, it's been the most glorious six months of our lives. Oliver has simply been a dream baby and we thank our lucky stars every single day for him.

We would like to update you on his 6 month stats but that's going to have to wait until next week when he has his pediatrician visit, so instead, we will update you on some other milestones. Although we can say that we think he weighs about 18lbs (at least that's what our home scale said).

Oliver had the pleasure of trying a teething cookie for the first time...and I we can't emphasize how much he loved it!!!! We had a hard time taking it away from him. He got deliciously messy and we reveled in every moment.


After Oliver tackled his teething cookie he got really sleepy, so he took a nap. I mean, it's hard work chewing on that stuff.


Oliver has also gotten a lot better at sitting. He hasn't quite mastered it yet but we are hoping that with the help of the pugs he will be movtivated to have some more floor time very soon.

Burt and Ernie Update

Oliver let me take a really good picture of his two friends Burt and Ernie. He has been making really good use of these two new friends...biting his Mommy's fingers...chewing on his toys...and making a tremendous amount of drool.

We also discovered that Oliver has another alternate personality besides Super O...Oliverosaurus Rex made an appearance yesterday. His interests include: eating the town villagers, roaring big and loud, and causing massive destruction to everything he touches.

We were pleased, however, to find that while Oliverosaurus Rex is a tough and frightening creature, the truly sweet and loving Ollie is still underneath this scary facade.

Fun at Aliza's House

Last night Oliver took us to Aliza's house for a little dinner and fun with the Aunties. Aliza is growing up so fast that she is in cloths at a week old that Oliver wasn't wearing until he was 1 month old. I'm pretty sure Oliver has caught up by now considering he's wearing some 9 month old cloths already.

Oliver had a great time with Auntie Q - swinging on her legs was about the most fun he's had all week.



Now that's one sweet Aliza with one hot mama!

A fun weekend with Grandma and Grandpa

After Oliver's adoption proceedings on Friday we high tailed it to Connecticut for a fun weekend with Grandpa and Grandma. When we arrived, Oliver was surprised to find a new toy for him to break in.

We also had some time to go to the Westport dog park were Stella, Gizmo and Oliver had lots of fun looking at all the other dogs. Stella wore herself out so much she had to seek refuge under Oliver's stoller.



After the park, Oliver had some good quality time with Grandma and Grandpa.

Oliver also got to learn the next step in his dream of becoming a bull rider.

He was also initiated into the tradition of reading the Sunday edition of the New York Times. Oliver also hit another milestone and was finally able to hold his own bottle. While he's already been sort of doing this on and off for a while now, he finally was able to hold a full bottle without letting it fall.