One year on

Hard to believe it, but Oliver is a year old this month!

We gave him an impromtu party on the streets of Edinburgh, with a piece of carrot cake (which he didn't eat) and then held a real birthday party back here in England, with a chocolate cupcake (which he also didn't eat). He was excited about the candle however, which mom managed to blow out just before he got his hands on it!

Although he's been standing on his own and taking a few tentative steps these last few days, in large part he still has to play the 'lava' game and only move around where there is something to hold on to. He's become quite resourceful though...he's learned that any wall can be used for transport, provided that he leaves into it a little bit. He also found out that if he pushes on a laundry basket, it'll slide aong the floor, getting him pretty much anywhere he wants to go. He kind of looks like an old man with a walker. In the absence of laundry baskets, he sometimes catches a ride with the dog as she passes by -- he can grab ahold and walk with her for about three steps before he falls down.

He's also realized that no one (not even dad!) is irresponsible enough to leave him on top of anything high up without being close by to intervene. This means he can play 'everlasting tuck,' diving headfirst off the bed or stairs, knowing that a set of hands will magically arrive to set him gently down!

He can say a few words now - most notably, "Uh Oh!"
Ollie defines uh-oh as follows:

uh·oh [ut-ooo OR ooo-ut OR ut-ooo-ooooo]
–interjection
1. I've dropped something on accident
2. I've dropped something on purpose
3. I'm about to drop something on purpose
4. There is something over there that I can't reach, please get it for me

The latest Ollie pictures are at:

OLLIE PICS

Enjoy!