Oliver at 12 Months

At 12 months, Oliver:

-is 23 lbs., and 30.75 inches long. Big boy!

-is hanging on to his sweet toothless grin. Who needs teeth anyway? He loves food and does great mashing things between those little gums.
-still has issues with cow's milk, so we're keeping him away for awhile longer.  Dr. B said at his 12-month check up that it's totally OK to do that, and he'll likely grow out of it. Thankfully there are plenty of goat's milk products out there that he doesn't react to, and really likes.  A little goat yogurt mixed with peach soy yogurt is his favorite!

-has added a shoulder shimmy to his dance moves. It makes me laugh every time he does it, which is often!

-doesn't seem to have much interest in walking.  Once in awhile he'll stand by himself without holding on to anything, but quickly sits down if you approach him, or try to help him walk.  As we've figured out with this kiddo, HE will decide when it's time, and will then let us know! He is growing beautifully and we know he'll walk when he's good and ready.
-claps on command.  It's awesome.
-is a chatterbox. He says duck, ball and light.  Well, at least we think that's what he's saying!!

Happy Birthday to Oliver

Dear Oliver,

My whole life I wanted to be a mother.  When I was little, I was always the mommy when my friends and I played house.  I played with dolls until I was probably too old, because I loved pretending to have kids.  I started babysitting when I was 11 years old, and kept at it until I was 25.  I've always adored children and was so excited to have my own someday.  So after waiting for years and years, you made my dream come true, and one year ago at this very moment, I finally had my very own baby to love.

I honestly can't believe a whole year has passed us by.  So many wonderful things have happened.  Your daddy and I have watched you grow and learn before our very eyes.  It's hard to believe at one time you were only 8 pounds.  We could change your diaper without a struggle.  You were so tiny and couldn't hold your head up on your own.  You loved to cuddle and would cling to us.  You would fall asleep in our arms no matter where we were, nothing distracting you from that sweet slumber.

Today, you are active and busy, and so curious.  You hate sitting still for diaper changes.  You bounce around and move your shoulders side to side when you hear music.  You love to flirt and entertain people with your fake coughs, high-pitched screams and pretend burps.  You are independent and don't like to be held for long.  The world around you is WAY more exciting than sleep, and if something has your attention you will fight that nap for as long as you can.  But, you are also a very sweet little boy, and when you are tired or in the right mood, you will let me cuddle you.  You wrap your arms around my neck and give me kisses.  When daddy feeds you at night, you gently stroke his arm and run your fingers through his facial hair.  You are so loving, and just a beautiful human being.  I adore you and that toothless grin of yours.  I love your long eye lashes, and those big puppy dog eyes that look just like your dad's.  I can't get enough of your perfect baby smell.  I love how you love your daddy, and how he melts when he sees you after a long day of work.  You have strengthened our marriage, and made us better people.  We love each other more than ever, all because of YOU.

One year ago you made me a mommy, and I couldn't feel more settled.  I know my role in this world is to be your mother.  I love you unconditionally and am so glad you chose me to be your mom.

I love you, little boo.

Your Mama

We've been busy!

We've been pretty busy the past few weeks!  I am late posting Oliver's 11-month update but will do that as soon as I can.  For now, here's some pics!

We've had some fun at Music class:

Oliver & Violet (socks taste good!)

Oliver loving on Leslie, Violet's mom

Hula hoops!

Stacey and Tyler (who we met at childbirth class last year!), and Nicole and Gemma are behind them

Daddy plated guitar during class!

We also discovered a new and super fun place called the Playground Gym where Oliver can roam around and have some fun:

Oliver and his buddy Tyler

Cute little butt

Oliver's favorite part of the gym

We watched Blazer games and wore cute clothes:

And then.... we got sick.  Well, Oliver got sick and then John got sick...  So I'm sure I'm next!  Poor buddy :(

So much snot.

Oliver at 11 Months

At 11 months, Oliver:

-STILL has zero teeth.  Maybe he doesn't have any?

-pulls himself up on everything he can.  He loves crawling over to his bookshelf, standing up, pulling out all his books, then sitting down to "read" them.

-really enjoys music and dances all the time.  I also think he's trying to sing– when we go for car rides, he's in the back babbling in a high voice. It's too cute.

-is a rascal. He lets you know when he is not pleased by arching his back and screaming.  Uh oh...

-loves to eat things off the floor.  Especially fuzz and paper.

-has a sensitivity to dairy (we think).  I gave him yogurt last week (after keeping away from dairy for several weeks) and instantly a small rash grew on his cheek.  I tried yogurt made with goat's milk today– he loved it, and no rash!  I may try goat cheese next...

-is intrigued by animals, and adores our neighbor Chihuahua named Chloe.  They give each other open mouth kisses... It's hilarious, but totally gross.

-throws things on the ground when he is done with them. Then he stares at you, waiting to see if you'll pick it up. And if you pick it up...  He will throw it again.  It's a fun game :)

-seems to be sleeping better at night (except for the past week when he was sick AGAIN).  He still wakes up once but usually goes back to sleep until the morning.

-loves to fake cough and get a reaction from me.  If I make a big deal out of it he coughs over and over and starts to laugh.  It's my favorite game with him :)

-is totally becoming a toddler in front of our very eyes. He is curious, smart and so loving.  I can't believe we'll be celebrating his first birthday in just a few weeks.

Laughing

I don't think there is a more beautiful sound in the world than this kid's laugh!


Laughing at Daddy from Lindsay Zogas on Vimeo.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Zogas Family

Music Together class

We started taking Music Together class a few weeks ago and are having so much fun!  Oliver loves music and it's been a blast watching him figure out how to use certain instruments (when they aren't going in his mouth, of course).  I caught just a quick snippet of him flirting with Violet's mom Leslie, and shaking his little maracas!

Password: Zogas


Music Together from Lindsay Zogas on Vimeo.

Peekaboo!

Peekaboo from Lindsay Zogas on Vimeo.

Oliver's first home is for sale

Big news around here– we're selling our home!  John and I have been talking about finding a new place to live for awhile, and a few weeks ago decided to make it official.  Little did we know, a short week later our condo was ready to go on the market!  Photographs were taken today and the listing goes up tomorrow.  It's a bittersweet situation– we are excited about the possibility of moving into a house and having a lot more room for Oliver and our stuff, but it's also sad to think about leaving Oliver's first home.  It's cozy and safe, it's in a great location, and we have THE BEST neighbors imaginable.  Well, except for the noisy renters downstairs– they are annoying and I'm happy to get away from them.  But the other neighbors that we adore...  We are sad, they are sad, but we all know this is for the best.

Here are the photos taken today.  I hope this place sells.  How could it not?  Look how pretty!

Oliver at 10 Months

At 10 months, Oliver:

-continues to grow oh-so-nicely! He's in between sizes right now, as most 12-month items are getting too short but the 18-month are a bit long.

-is still very much a mama's milk kinda boy. He continues to show interest in solid foods but likes to play with it more than eat it. We also think he may have a sensitivity to dairy, since he's had weird reactions (rashes, swollen eyelids, vomiting) a handful of times when trying something with cow's milk.

-STILL has no teeth, or signs showing there are any on their way in. He drools a lot and chews on everything, but has been doing so for months.  So... where are the teeth??

-crawls super fast, and stands up in his crib. Every morning when he wakes up we find him standing up, chirping and babbling to himself.

-says dada, mama, and hi!

-had his first sick-visit to the doctor to find out he has a double ear infection! Poor kid. What prompted the visit was two days in a row of waking up every 45 minutes to an hour SCREAMING.  We thought it was teething but after the second night of that, we had a feeling it was something else!

-is a total flirt, and hams it up when people smile at him and say he's cute. It is so heart-warming to see people's reactions to him, and to tell us how sweet our little boy is.  We agree!!

Oliver loves music

Oliver loves Lady Gaga from Lindsay Zogas on Vimeo.


Dancing to Lady Gaga

Mama's helper

Someone wanted to help mama with her work today!

Standing in his crib?!

This morning around 8:00, John and I woke to what sounded like a bird chirping in the other room.  Oh, nevermind, it's Oliver!  He loves to explore the different sounds he can make and always tests them out first thing in the morning.  It's actually pretty cute :)  Anyway, John got up and went into Oliver's room.  I heard a small laugh and then he came back and said, "Lindsay... He's standing up in his crib."  We both went back in to find this:

OHMYGAAHHH!  He's old enough to pull himself up to a standing position in his crib.  Are you kidding?  Just last week he finally figured out how to push himself up to sitting from laying down, so we knew this wasn't far behind.  So now it will be interesting to see how often Oliver does this, and if he can figure out how to get back down... Stay tuned!

Oliver's loves guitar

Go Beavs!

Oliver waves

Oliver waved to me today.  I burst into tears!
(Password: Zogas)


Oliver Waves from Lindsay Zogas on Vimeo.

A few pictures to brighten your day

Oliver, caught mid-squeal at Target. The boy LOVES his voice!

Apparently, this is a comfortable way to sleep.  He does this all the time!

Bath time!

He kept crawling away when I tried to put a diaper on him. He likes to be nakey!

Oliver's 9-month check up

Yesterday was Oliver's 9-month check up.  As we got ready to go, John and I told him several times we were going to see Dr. B.  He was awfully quiet as he sat on our bed "reading" a book waiting to go get his shots...

Once we were there, he seemed fine.

He loved seeing that cute baby in the mirror :)  Anyway, the appointment went great as always!  He didn't have any major growth spurts this time, but is still in the 70-75th percentile for height, weight and head circumference.  He now weighs 21.5 lbs., and is 29.75" long!  What a big boy.  We talked with Dr. Bengtson about food, and I mentioned the rash Oliver got when I fed him YoBaby banana yogurt a few weeks ago:

He said it could have been an additive in the yogurt, or a dairy thing.  He suggested we try plain yogurt and see if there's any reaction.  If not, try the banana one again.  I reallllly hope Oliver doesn't have any major food sensitivities but it wouldn't be surprising if he does, since a lot of babies with eczema seem to have a few food allergies.

Also, Oliver got 3 shots since we were a little behind on his vaccs (they were out of one at his 6-month check up), and we have to go back for his second round of flu shots next month.  Of course, he hates shots (he must take after his mama... I still make John hold my hand when getting a shot or having blood drawn...)  Watching him cry in pain is one of the saddest things I've ever witnessed!  He rarely cries, and hardly ever does the "hurt cry" where he can't catch his breath for a few seconds in between sobs.  It's even worse when he locks eyes with me as he cries, as if he's pleading with me to please make it stop.  AHHH!  But, John and I feel strongly about vaccinations and even though it's sad, it's so important to keep Oliver healthy.

So all in all it was a great visit!  We'll go back at 12 months.  I can't believe that's only 3 months away.  Our baby is growing up!

Oliver at 9 Months

At 9 months, Oliver:

-is 21 lbs., and  28" long. He didn't have a huge growth spurt since his last appointment but is still in the 70-75th percentile!  He wears most 9 month clothing now, but is slowly outgrowing them.  I bought 18-month Carter's onesies that are big but will probably fit any day now.

-seems to enjoy solid foods more than last month, but still doesn't eat much.  I made butternut squash the other day and he ate the entire serving, so perhaps the interest is increasing! Dr. Bengtson said not to worry about it, and to at least offer him 3 meals a day regardless if he eats it all or not.

-has no teeth! 

-pulls himself around with his upper body, but is starting to rock back and forth while on his knees.  We think full on crawling will happen any day now.

-loves to stand and walk with help.

-says "dada" so beautifully.  We also hear "rara" which I'm starting to think is me?!  No "mama" quite yet.

-loves to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the morning and immediately dances when the Hot Dog song comes on at the end! He also claps all the time– it's so cute.

-is a very busy boy– he is constantly moving around, either squirming in our arms or rolling/scooting on the floor. He has so much energy and loves to explore his surroundings. Some days just to keep up with him I feel like I ran a marathon! But I love how curious and mobile he is, and it's all so worth it.  This kid is the best!

Laughing with Daddy

This never gets old.

Laughing with Daddy from Lindsay Zogas on Vimeo.

"Dada!"

Caught this while filming a little video to send to John while he was at work yesterday.  So sweet!


Dada! from Lindsay Zogas on Vimeo.

Play date with Yia yia & Pappou

Yesterday, Oliver and I went out to visit John's parents for a few hours.  I love to see his reaction when he sees his grandparents– he is so intrigued by them!  He loves to play, and they always have fun toys waiting for him.  He showed off a little bit (of course) and demonstrated how well he scoots around on the ground.

By the end he was exhausted, and fell fast asleep on the car ride home.  We'll be back to play again soon!