Oliver update: 24 months

Whereas everyone else has been noticing all these new words Oliver can say, I'm finally having those moments where I too wonder if Oliver just said "big red ball" or said "birthday" when pointing to the train set he got for his birthday. Seemingly random words are coming out of nowhere. Most of the words are still unclear to an untrained ear though. And he still loves saying the word "bus." Chris and I were asking him whether he wanted a new brother or sister and he exclaimed, "Bus!" Even though I feel as big as a bus, I can confidently say that I'm not actually having a bus.

Oliver LOVES any type of vehicle, and generally calls everything a bus, as if it were a collective term for anything with an engine on wheels. He says the word so much that I just had to ask his E.C.F.E. teacher if he was developing an obsessive compulsive disorder or something, but she assured me that because he's interested in buses, he's probably literally thinking of them all the time.

It is cool to witness how much he knows, even if he doesn't have the vocabulary to describe things. Even though he repeatedly says (or yells with excitement) "I saw" or "bus" to every other picture in a picture book, if you ask him to point to a certain object, he'll point to the right one.

Oliver still doesn't have the language skills to carry on a conversation, or even speak in full sentences, but he's starting to be able to convey opinions. Of course he acts like a typical toddler by responding no to many questions you don't really think he doesn't want to do, but when he says yes to something, you know he means it. Then he surprised Chris by saying that he wanted to see fish and monkeys when asked what animals he wanted to see at the zoo. We're used to having one-sided conversations with him where his only response is "yeah," so to have him answer a non yes-or-no question was a big deal for us.

Oliver is also just starting to mimic words we say, which I know will become an embarrassing habit to Chris and me in no time, but it's a sign his language development is moving in the right direction. He and Chris were running around on the baseball field at the park around the corner from our house and Oliver liked smacking the dirt in the infield and watching the dust fly up. Sure, there are more useful words Oliver could be learning, but after hearing Chris say dust a couple of times, I was astonished to hear Oliver was able to repeat it.

And he's just starting to mimic what we're doing. He's done this to some extent for awhile now, but lately it's specific actions he'll mimic. If he sees me sweeping, he wants his try with the broom, even though the handle is so long and unwieldy that he can't do anything more than shove the dirt pile around. Because he sees me shake out laundry before I fold it, he pulls article of clothing out of the hamper and shakes them too. (Too bad he hasn't developed the coordination for folding yet.) The funniest was when I took a spoonful of soup and accidentally spilled some on my arm and I looked over and there he was dribbling soup onto his arm too.

Oliver has been developing his jumping skills for months now. I'm now wondering if his earlier habit of throwing himself upwards and backwards from a sitting position (which drove me nuts, because I thought I was going to get a skull in my teeth) was a precursor to jumping. Now he makes similar movements from a standing position, but his feet still don't leave the ground. I've read that being able to jump is a big gross motor skill milestone, which makes sense. Think of how much coordination and strength it really does take to make your body airborne and then not tumble over when your feet touch the ground again. Our ECFE classroom has a little trampoline with a grab bar and a mirror and it's a big hit with all the little kids.

The other big gross motor skill Oliver displayed this month was being able to walk up our front steps without holding onto the railing or crawling up. He was so proud of himself and clapped for himself when he made it to the top.

The other thing Oliver likes to clap for (besides himself) is for football, even if the other team scores a touchdown. Since Chris once had to bribe me to sit and watch one quarter of a football game with him, (his idea of couples bonding or something) I think he is quite pleased with himself that Oliver likes watching football. Actually, he likes any sport that involves a ball and frequently calls out "Ball!" as the action transpires on the screen.

After what seemed to be a trying summer when the typical acting out behavior of a toddler was getting the best of me, Oliver seems to have mellowed a bit. For sure, he still doesn't listen and thinks it's fun to try to make me catch him and throws fits when he doesn't get his way, but either these behaviors are shorter-lived or less extreme, or I've learned to have more resolve with them and move on. I've been limiting how much I shop with him, a typical flash point, but when I do take him into a store, I tell him ahead of time that he has to stay by mom or he rides in the cart, (I even bring a stroller if I know there won't be carts where we're going) and after one reminder, he gets plunked in the cart no matter how much he balks.

For all the frustrating power struggles, I do see Oliver's maturity growing. It's common for toddlers to fight over toys and basically act like bullies to each other, so the day Oliver offered a toy car to a playmate, I couldn't believe my eyes. A true understanding of the concepts of sharing and taking turns won't come for some time developmentally, but it's clear he's starting to develop empathy. That time he offered up a toy car has not been an isolated incident and he's showing concern for other kids when they're upset. The cutest has been when I've read him the book Oliver Finds His Way and when we get to the part in the book where the little bear realizes he's lost in the woods, Oliver always points at the bear and looks concerned. Then one night, his bottom lip quivered and his eyes welled up with tears. Luckily, Oliver the bear finds his way home to mom and dad, so there's a happy ending!

Oliver has typically been more cautious socially, so he's not the type of kid to throw himself in among a big group of kids. He doesn't mind the presence of lots of other kids, like at Tot Time or the Children's Museum, where it's generally pandemonium, he just likes his space for whatever particular activity he's doing among all that chaos. Other parents and Oliver's ECFE teachers have commented how respectful Oliver is of other kids and what they're doing. (Did they really use the word respectful to describe a toddler?) Instead of shoving his way onto the jungle gym, he's more apt to watch where other kids are playing first before joining in. Everyone wants to have to have the outwardly social kid, so it's nice to be reminded that there's room for all types of personalities on the playground.

All Oliver seems to want to do for fun these days is play with his train set, color or read books. He's really into picture books right now, which definitely tries our patience, as the procedure of having Oliver point at a picture, yell, "I saw!" (or at least that's what we think he's saying) and then one of us naming the object, gets old very quickly. I know it's one way toddlers build vocabulary, but sometimes I tell him he has to pick a book that I can read to him.

With consistently cooler days now here, I recently went through Oliver's clothes to assess what he had for colder weather. Based on my experience last winter when Oliver grew out of a size some time in March, (and we honestly still had two more months of winter left) I've been buying two of all winter clothing, one in size 2T and the same item in size 3T. I'm wondering if that's going to backfire on me, especially with pants. I know Oliver is getting taller, but it otherwise feels like he's stalled in a size (18 months for bottoms/2T for tops). Certain brands of pants are starting to look too short on him, but Chris dressed him in a pair of 2T pants, and they seemed to hold up, (literally) but a few minutes later they suddenly fell down! Meanwhile, his hats, winter jacket and snow pants from last year still fit. (Less to buy, for now at least.)

And with that, I might retire the monthly Oliver updates and instead check back in at more sporadic intervals.