Overdue update, again

One thing I have learned in the last 14 months is that with small children, the unexpected is bound to happen and throw a curve in your plans. One morning Oliver and I were up early and Oliver helped me check me email and the weather report, like he always does, and started banging on the keyboard. He loved to do this, I guess he liked the colors changing on the screen, and Doug always said that he could never do anything to really hurt it. Well, the short version is the "blue screen of death" appeared on the computer and our desktop has never been the same. Doug was able to revive it long enough to dump all the files (including the pictures) onto my portable hard drive (so glad I got that!) but later declared it beyond hope. We are now looking for a new hard drive and with Doug in the middle of the semester who knows when the desktop (my computer, basically) will be up and running. Doug is playing music tonight and left the laptop for me so I am thankful for an opportunity to update. I wish I could post new pictures but they are on the hard drive or still on the memory card so they will have to wait.

There are so many things that I am just going to list them:

Oliver now has 11 teeth! Three of them are molars that are still breaking through but he has cut 3 molars in the last two months, with very little discomfort. We have only had to give Tylenol a handful of times and have had very few wake ups in the middle of the night-what a trooper!

Oliver now walks everywhere! When I last posted, he was just starting to walk short distances and when you put him down, he would usually crawl. Now he wants to walk wherever he goes.

He has finally gotten over his fear of the outdoors. For the longest time, he would only want to be held when he was outside and would look around, sort of suspicously. Now he will bring you his shoes and try to open the door on his own. Oliver actually threw his first temper tantrum the other day when we brought him inside(it was raining). Loves, loves to play outside.

Oliver loves to pick things up and "help" you by moving them around the house. Loves laundry baskets and laundry. He will put clothes in the dryer (and then take them back out, still wet) and take folded clothes in and out of the laundry basket for you. We spent 45 minutes one night looking for the TV remote...he had put it in the laundry basket.

Speaking of laundry baskets, Oliver now takes a bath in a laundry basket. Yes, my son takes a bath in a laundry basket..I only wish I could show you the pictures. Oliver used to take a bath in his inflatable duck and he loved his duck..really, really loved his duck. He used to go into the bathroom and pat it on his head and try to say "du du". One night, we noticed Duck had a leak and was slowly caving in on Oliver. Needless to say, Duck had to retire. We tried twice unsuccessfully to bath Oliver in the tub without Duck and he absolutely would not have it..poor thing, he was terrified. My mom came up with the idea of using a laundry basket...perfect! He loves his baths again.

He is so interactive now. I am really starting to be able to play games with him and he will just laugh and laugh. I love it! Oliver loves to be tickled, play peek a boo..we play a game where he will come around the corner and I crawl to him and say (in a playing way, of course) "I'm going to get you...I'm going to get you" which is of course when I grab him and tickle him and blow raspberries on his tummy. Oh, he just discovered his belly button the other day...so cute! You can say "Oliver, where is your belly button?" and he lifts up his shirt and laughs at it. Then you have to tickle it and laugh with him.

We play this game where he comes up behind me when I am sitting on the floor and he puts his arms around my neck. I reach behind me and grab onto his legs and lift him up off the floor by leaning forward. He laughs and we have to do this at least once a day.

Oliver blew me a kiss goodbye in his high chair when I was leaving for school the other day. I love him.

I have so much more to tell but I am looking at the clock and I have papers that I have to grade tonight or I will regret it tomorrow. I have missed checking in on everyone's blogs and I hope I can catch up soon.