We’ve got an 18 month old. A toddler. When people ask how old our little boy is we just say a year and a half because the months just don’t matter anymore :] It honestly feels like it’s been so much longer than than that though! Our life without Ollie feels super far away. We’re so used to having to plan our lives around him. And he’s a part of us in a way that no one, but Ollie ever will be. Our first little baby who has taught us and is teaching us what is really important in life.
More than ever, he’s our little buddy. I feel like I always write that when I give an update, but he really is! He’s just our mini friend :] We love hanging out with him. Uninterrupted time with him where we don’t have to be distracted by work is our favorite time (besides time with each other ;]). Ollie loves tagging along to whatever we’re going to do. Whether it’s putting the dogs out in the yard or going to the grocery store or even going to the bathroom…for real, no privacy, no separation. But we don’t really mind! It’s sweet to see how much he recognizes us as his people and his safe place. He hugs us back and gives us big sloppy kisses on the mouth. Our trick of getting him to love on us is by having David tackle me or give me a kiss. Ollie can’t resist joining in on the group hug. He usually will smile really wide, his eyes will light up, and then he’ll run and tackle us! Whenever we pick him up from nursery or childcare, his jaw drops open into a big smile and he runs to us!
Some Ollie updates for our big toddler boy: Somewhere around 16 months Ollie started to SING! He loves to sing along in the most off pitched fashion. And never fails to sing along to “this little light of mine” right before bed. (also to waving through a window from dear evan hansen) He also loves to do “peek a boo” during the lyric “hide him under a bushel, NO.” And just in general. His new thing is putting his hands over my eyes for peek a boo. He loves bed time. A calm washes over him when he gets his pajamas on and he sometimes tries diving into the crib before we’re even done singing. He’s gotten really attached to his blanket and loves to carry it around and use it as a pillow when he’s waking up. He loves watching movies and dancing in circles until he falls over. He loves copying us! From facial expressions to pressing the caps lock key on my computer. That might explain why his favorite toys are household items: remotes, brooms, paper, tissues, anything with a button.
Oliver loves interacting with other people. He stares out the window to watch people walk by. He watches as we carrying on conversation and totally gets what is going on. He surprises us with how in tune he is every day. He’s started to be interested in other kids too! His eyes light up when they’re having fun and he wants to laugh and run with them. But he can sometimes be a bit of a loner :] We often find him playing in a corner by himself or watching the action from far away when he’s in a big group of kids. Ollie LOVES playing with the dogs. He things they’re hilarious and he spends a good amount of time tackling Neville (literally diving on him) and trying to ride Layla. He points at everything and uses the word “ma” aka “more” no matter the situation. Other frequent words: dog, ball, and bye. But really what happens is when someone leaves he screams “BAI” and waves frantically. He’s obsessed with our phones and the pool and water of any kind. He could eat constantly, but is pretty picky. He loves mama’s food and chipotle and bananas the best. He loves drinking from a straw especially if it’s in someone else’s drink.
Some downsides that are also hilarious: He’s clingy. He loves David in the morning and me in the evening. He’s really confused if we switch things up on him. He throws tantrums over everything. Big dramatic tantrums. Over things like saying he can’t touch an outlet or throw a book at the dog or take big fistfuls of my hair and pull them. He developed some rough sleep habits in the last few months where he wakes up at 2 or 3am and just stays up wanting to cuddle or watch a movie. Thankfully, we think he’s out of that phase :] He’s also developed eczema which was a bummer, but we’re glad to have it figured out now!
This summer he got to go to the beach, fall in love with the children’s museum, go on countless road trips, have sleepovers on the couch with us, attend 3 weddings we were guests at, stay overnight with his GiGi, and live at the pool. Best summer ever.
This update is massive! Take your time scrolling through the cuteness and enjoy my commentary :]
Classic Ollie moves.
He’s got big old feet now! Everyone always asks if he’s two!
That crooked smile that totally reminds me of my sister as a toddler!
“Hold me mama!”
Here’s month 17! He was a little grumpy this day, but that kinda describes him at this stage :] 
He’s a busy bear and he loves looking out the window AND handing people things. 
The stages of an Ollie meltdown.
He’s a phone stealer.
Signature Ollie wave!
Blowing you a kiss :]
Month 18! Just a few days ago! I actually had to do these on two different days because he’s so moody lately!
He LOVES paper and we have no idea why. 
Drama drama.
Sneaking some Nev into this post :]
Always, always pointing.
Loves to explore.
Until next time :]
